Equestria Occupied
by Fist of Enmity
Summary: In 2030, during a second cold war, the United States Military happens across a rift connecting their reality to that of Equestria. Hoping to capitalize on any possible advantage this will give them, commando teams are trained and sent into a world unknown to them, ordered to scout the area out and establish contact. How will Equestria deal with these new and unusual visitors?
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note**: First Fan-Fiction. Also, I don't know much about the protocols of the United States Military, so I could very well be doing something wrong with respect to proper procedure. Apologies for any inaccuracies you might notice.

Equestria Occupied

First Lieutenant Jason Forman listened to his own footsteps as the soles of his boots came down on the tunnel's hard concrete floor. This gray, barren, underground passage was just one of the many subterranean routes of Joint Base Ingram, the newest United States Military base, which had become operational only a few years ago.

History had repeated itself; the United States was in another cold war, this time with China. New weapon systems were developed, missiles poured from factories by the dozen, tanks rolled out of their production plants, and the entire country had renewed patriotism, and an interest in the spread of democracy, through force if necessary.

Forman couldn't help but think he had forgotten about something; a nagging sensation at the back of his mind told him he was missing some important detail about the day, though he couldn't imagine what it was. He was on his way now to where he would begin his new assignment, whatever that may be. After months of intense training and tests, he was finally about to find out just what he had been preparing for. Surely, he could be forgetting some detail about his new posting; he had taken steps to ensure every detail he could manage to find was abundantly clear to him. No, he wasn't forgetting something about his new job, but instinct told him whatever he had forgotten was something sinister. He came to a three-way intersection of tunnel, and turned right.

"Jason, hey- wait up!" Someone called out his name; Forman could recognize that voice anywhere. He turned around, and saw his friend, Second Lieutenant Mark Marshall bounding down the tunnel towards him.

"Mark, good to see you here," Forman said. The two had participated in the same training over the past several months, but had been friends before that. Now, they would be working together in the same new environment.

"On your way to the new job?" Marshall asked, matching his stride with Forman's brisk pace.

"Sure am, you're headed there yourself too, right?" Forman answered.

"Yep; speaking of, do you even know what the job is going to be?" Marshall asked.

"Nobody would tell me. Even after I passed everything and got approved for this, I was told I wouldn't find anything out until the briefing", Forman replied.

"Same thing happened to me; I tried to use the training they put us through to figure out what we'll be doing, except most of it makes no sense. I mean, all the advanced medical stuff I can understand, but then they had us study the anatomy of dozens of different animals, with heavy emphasis on horses, then they had us study Greek and Norse mythology, _then _had us train against cardboard cutouts of a bunch of animals, most of which I'm sure don't even exist, how the hell are we gonna' put any of that to use?"

"I dunno. I guess we'll just have to find out when we're being briefed", Forman said.

"Yeah…guess so," Marshall sighed, and then added "Big day for you, though, am I right?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Forman asked. "We both have the same new job, what's different for me?"

"C'mon Jason, May 15th, 2030?" Marshall said, informing him of the days date.

"Yeah…?" Forman asked, before realization dawned on him. "Oh hell…" he muttered, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Yep; happy 27th birthday!" Marshall said, clapping his friend on the shoulder before walking off, leaving him behind.

Forman shook himself from his daze, and took off after him. "Hey!" he called to Marshall. "You're going to keep this to yourself, right?"

He received no answer, and called out again, "Right?" When he caught up, Marshall offered him a smile, and pushed open the door to room 224, their destination.

They entered the room, and located their superior officer, Colonel Chad Davis. The two lieutenants saluted sharply to the colonel, who returned the salute. "At ease" Davis said. "Gentlemen, it's good to see you here."

"It's good to be here, sir. Are we on time for the briefing?" asked Forman.

"The briefing isn't scheduled for another 15 minutes, but since everyone is here now, we'll go ahead and begin. Head through that door, and in a few minutes, the briefing will commence." Davis pointed towards a plain looking door, and they walked through it. On the other side, they found 50 or so soldiers sitting in front of a Smart board. Taking two empty seats, they sat down and waited for the briefing to begin.

Colonel Davis entered, flanked by a staff officer. The soldiers stood for the colonel, and he told them they may be seated.

"Gentlemen, it's taken each one of you exceptionally hard work just to sit in this room today; congratulations," Davis began. "I can say with complete confidence, you all are the most prepared we have to complete the task ahead of you. And I'm sure that, after months of preparation, you're all wondering just what that task is. Well, eight months ago, our scientists managed to stabilize a sort of….rift between two realities." Davis paused for a moment, allowing that statement to sink in. "Based on pictures taken during many high-altitude surveillance missions, we have identified several native species, with the primary population composing of what closely resembles horses." Pictures began to appear on the Smart-board, changing periodically to fit in with the topic of the colonel's statements. "Whatever these natives are, they're a highly-intelligent civilization, with established communities, and a trans-continental railway system. Business and road signs indicate, astonishingly, English as a primary language, and a variety of statues and monuments indicate the relevance of, or perhaps even the direct presence of, Norse and Greek mythology within their society."

Normally, the soldiers might expect everything to be a hoax. However, after the months of training they had undergone, not to mention to money the U.S. Government had spent to fund that training, it only made sense that what the colonel was telling them was true. Especially since the scientific community had lately been overtaken by an interest with the possibility of alternate realities, and how they might be accessed.

Davis began his closing remarks. "I know this might seem a bit hard to believe, but trust me; it's real. You all will be the first to conduct any large-scale ground operations, especially missions relating to establishing first contact with the natives; represent your country well. Officers and team leaders, remain behind, all other personnel will exit through the door and report to room 235" Davis said, ending the briefing.

After most of the soldiers had filed out the door, Davis signaled for the remaining personnel to come and occupy the seats nearest to him. "Gather 'round, everybody", the colonel said. Once the seats had been filled, he addressed the group.

"I'm going to let you all in on what the DOD is hoping to get out of this", Davis said. "A very unique opportunity has presented itself to us, and we have every intention of capitalizing on it. In short gentlemen, we're going to build a base on the other side of that rift. This cold war with China is looking like it could turn hot at any moment, and if we can put a base inside another reality, it will significantly increase the retaliatory capabilities of the United States, in the event that China should launch any sort of attack against us, including a nuclear attack. A military base on another plane of reality ensures that the U.S. can keep fighting, even if all the bases on this side of the rift are leveled." Davis paused for a moment, and looked left from right, into the eyes of all the soldiers that sat before him. "It would be preferable, if construction of the base can be on friendly terms with the natives. However, we _will_ be putting a base there, one way or another", Davis said gravely. "Any questions?"

Forman's hand shot up. "Yes, sir; I have one."

"Lieutenant; go ahead" Davis instructed.

"How much do we know about the military capabilities of the natives?" Forman asked.

"We know next to nothing, Lieutenant. Aerial surveillance hasn't reviled anything that looks like it might be a military base by today's standards, and no vehicles that you'd expect to find in a modern military have been photographed either. It can be assumed that their capabilities are vastly inferior to our own, but we won't know anything for certain until all of you go through, and clarify the situation", Davis explained.

"Yes sir; thank you," Forman replied.

"Anybody else?" Davis asked, and seeing no raised hands, or other indications of a question, he ended the meeting. "Very well; one last thing; there is a chance you will be met with hostility. Should that happen, you are permitted to use any means at your disposal to defend yourselves, and the lives of your men. Use good judgment; it's better that we can get on good terms with the natives, but personally, I would consider the life of an American serviceman more important than the lives of any aggressive natives. That is all; report to room 235, there you will be assigned your men, and then you will pick up your equipment. In two hours, you will be walking through the rift, and into uncharted territory. Dismissed", Davis said, and the soldiers filed out of the room.

* * *

><p>It was a silent night in Ponyville, except for the sounds of a single pair of wings beating against the cool air. Under the light of Luna's moon, Princess Twilight Sparkle descended through the midnight sky, towards her residence in Ponyville's library.<p>

Her hoofs kicked up dust as they landed on the dirt road, and her feathers rustled as she folded her wings into her body. Fatigued by the trip, she let out a sigh, relieved to finally be home. She willed the door in front of her to open and it obeyed her command, swinging in to allow her entrance to her home. Stepping inside, she surveyed the familiar interior which she had missed so much during her time away. Only earlier that day, she had returned from the Human world, after defeating Sunset Shimmer and reclaiming her Element of Harmony. After reporting to Princess Celestia what she had occurred there, Twilight departed from Canterlot Castle, and headed back to Ponyville. She had been offered a room to stay in at the castle, of course, but declined the offer, preferring to, once again, sleep in her own bed.

Casting light from her horn, she climbed up the staircase and made her way to her room. Her eyelids were heavy, and every muscle in her body ached, making the thought of a good night's sleep very attractive. After what seemed an eternity, she arrived at her room, and curled up on her soft bed, and a sense of relief and closure washed over her; she had stopped Sunset Shimmer, and returned her Element of Harmony. Now, she could finally rest peacefully. "Everything is certainly fine" she said, and let out a small chuckle, convinced everything would be easy going from here on out.

* * *

><p>The 50 soldiers of the First Alternate Reality Group, the name which had been assigned to the group deploying to this strange new world, were traveling through an underground tunnel on-board a magnetic levitation train. In less than 45 minutes, they would step through into the unknown.<p>

Forman turned to the group's commander, Captain Cole Becker. "What do you make of this, sir?" the lieutenant asked.

The captain shook his head slightly and let out a breath. "It's incredible, if it's true."

"You still have your doubts about its validity, sir?" Forman questioned.

"I want it to be true, Lieutenant; it would be the opportunity of a lifetime. And I have no reason to doubt it, especially after all the training they put us through. But it still seems like a story out of a science-fiction movie, or something", explained the captain.

Forman could feel the train slowing down as it approached its stop. "I guess we're about to find out for ourselves, sir."

"That we are, lieutenant", replied the captain.

The train slowed to a halt, and the doors slid open to reveal a cement boarding/offloading platform. The underground station was illuminated by bright LEDs, which cast a cold, bluish-white light. Forman exited the train silently, with the rest of the men, feeling a spirit of bold curiosity that was hampered only by a slight pang of fear at the unknown factors of the mission ahead. Next to him, Marshall was feeling much the same thing. A guide led the group through several underground hallways, until they finally arrived at a massive blast door.

Alarms blared and amber lights flashed as the gigantic door slowly opened, revealing the space behind it. Forman saw what appeared to be the interior of a huge hanger-type building; bigger than any he had ever seen before. Aircraft were lined up against one wall, and a runway lead from the entrance down towards what looked like a giant opening at the end of the hanger, which opened into the cool night. At the moment no aircraft were on the runway, but several Humvees and transport trucks were parked off to one side.

"Hey Marshall, why do you think this hanger had a door on one end, and a huge gaping hole in the other?" Lieutenant Forman asked his friend.

Before Marshall could answer, a man in a lab-coat interjected himself into the conversation. "That gaping hole, as you so elegantly put it, is your rift into another reality, Lieutenant" he explained, and extended his hand towards Forman "Doctor Marcus Jones", he said intruding himself to the lieutenant, who shook his outstretched hand.

"Lieutenant Jason Forman", Forman said, introducing himself to the doctor.

"Yes, yes, I know who you are. I know who you all are, in fact. Now, I'm sure you're all eager to get going with your mission, so if you will mount up in these vehicles, you'll be driven down to the rift. As you can see, it's quite a walk" the doctor said, gesturing to the expansive space behind him.

Lieutenant Forman and Captain Becker loaded into the same Humvee as Doctor Jones, and waited while the rest of the soldiers boarded their vehicles.

"So, Doctor Jones, how did you discover this rift?" Captain Becker inquired.

"It appeared as a strange anomaly on radar, Captain. When some people were sent to investigate, well, this is what they found. Of course, they only found a small portion of it that was above ground; the majority of the rift is actually below ground, and had to be dug out to access the ground level. This hanger was constructed to protect our secret", Doctor Jones replied.

The Humvee began moving, as all the soldiers had mounted up into the vehicles. "And you built this indoor runway?" asked Ford.

"Indeed, it was necessary for us to conduct our aerial surveillance missions. We borrowed some features incorporated into aircraft carriers; for example, an arresting wire to help slow and stop aircraft coming in for a landing", explained the doctor.

"This must have been a massive engineering feat", said Forman with some admiration.

"Oh, it was; but that's really not my department. I am a scientist, after all; my main point of interest is the rift", the doctor replied, as the Humvee began to slow down.

"Well Doctor, it's an honor to get to work with you", remarked Captain Becker.

"Thank you, Captain, and speaking of work, we're here now; let's get started."

The vehicles stopped at the end of the runway, in front of the rift. The soldiers dismounted from the vehicles, and formed up with their teams. Doctor Jones addressed Captain Ford. "Captain, you were made aware of the objective for the first mission, care to inform the rest of your men?"

"Yes, Doctor", Becker said, taking his place in front of his men. "Our first mission through the rift is a reconnaissance operation of the town and surrounding areas. Under the cover of darkness, we will maneuver into positions that have been marked on the maps you received earlier. Using audio and video recording equipment, we will collect any information we can on the inhabitants. Be careful to remain hidden, and keep radio chatter to a minimum. At 2100 hours, we will begin extraction, if conditions permit. Now, if everyone is ready, I think we've all waited long enough to walk through that rift", said Ford, an enthusiastic smile coming over his face. "So, let's move out!"

Forman looked to his left, where a soldier was sticking the barrel of his new M16A5 experimentally through the rift. Then he looked to his right, where he saw Marshall grinning like a madman, unable to contain his excitement. Finally, he looked straight ahead, at the other side of the rift, where dirt met the concrete floor of the hanger in a seamless fashion. Taking a deep breath, and gripping his rifle tightly, he stepped forward, into a new adventure, a new world, and a whole new reality.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: **Special thanks to my friend, Jacob, for helping me edit this chapter, and to EmeraldsandAmethyst, who pointed out the transitions between scenes needed to be made clear.

**Chapter 2**

Lieutenant Forman stepped out the other side of the rift, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Looking back, he saw scientists and technicians standing on just the other side, inside of the hanger. More and more soldiers filed through the rift, out into the night air of a totally new world, and Forman took in his new surroundings. The trees here had been cut down to make it safe for aircraft while taking off and landing through the rift, and several small defensive fighting-positions had been built around the perimeter of the rift. Landing beacons stood on poles, marking the approach for aircraft that were landing at night, but given the absence of any air-traffic, they were off for the moment.

"Alright everyone," Captain Ford said, once all personnel were through, and had divided up into their teams. "You know where you're headed, so let's get moving while we still have the cover of darkness."

"Yes, sir", they replied collectively, and then they disappeared into the dark forest, almost as quickly as they had arrived.

* * *

><p>Applejack yawned, and sat up in her bed. She stretched her muscles, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before sliding off the bedside, landing first on her rear-hooves, followed quickly by her fore-hooves. As she shook her head, her mane whipped the still air of the room. Grabbing her hat off of its hanger, she trotted out the door and into the hallway connected to her bedroom.<p>

"Big-Mac, time to get up!" she shouted into her brothers room, and knocked a hoof against the hard wooden door-frame. "You too, Apple-Bloom", she shouted at her sister, repeating the process at her room. Shuffling bankers and tired groans let Applejack know that her commands were being followed. Having completed this first step of her morning routine, Applejack headed down a flight of stairs, and into the kitchen.

She hummed a tune as she fixed breakfast for herself, working off the sleepy aftereffects one feels after waking up. Applejack devoured the hearty meal she had prepared, and drank a large bucket of water to ensure she was hydrated for the workday ahead. Still seeing no sign of her brother or sister, she walked to the bottom of the staircase and shouted up to them. "Apple-Bloom, Big-Mac, c'mon now, get up and fix yerself something to eat!"

A single "E'yup" uttered by a deep, tired voice answered her, and she nodded approval; Big-Mac was up, at the very least, and he would ensure that Apple-Bloom was roused, and fed before engaging in the morning chores.

Stepping out the front door and onto the porch, Applejack inhaled deeply, smelling the early-morning scents of the farm, and grinned with enthusiasm, thinking of the day ahead on her beloved Sweet-Apple Acres. Letting out a breath, her grin of enthusiasm turned to a smile of sentimentality, as she reflected on everything the farm meant to her. After all these years, it was more than just where she worked, more than a home, even; it represented challenges overcome, by her, and with the help of friends and family. It represented lessons learned; that however impossible a situation may seem, any difficulties could be overcome with help from those close to you, help any true friend would gladly provide. However strong a single pony may be, the collective strength of a group of friends was immeasurable.

Applejack let out a chuckle; she was thinking about "mushy stuff", as Rainbow Dash would put it. She walked down the stairs, off the porch and into the yard. Relishing in the feel of the crisp grass crunching under her hooves, she trotted to the chicken coop, filling the food trough, and then the water trough, so that the chickens would have nutrition and water when they woke, and began to move about; the eggs would be collected later, once the sun rose. Next, she repeated the procedure at the cattle pasture, making sure sufficient food and water was contained in the feeding troughs. The first of her chores completed, she looked up at the sky, judging the time of the morning. By the looks of things, she'd have time to make it to her favorite spot to watch the sun rise over the apple orchard. Readying her muscles, and leaned in, and took off at a full sprint, towards the top of the tallest hill, which overlooked the orchard. As she ran toward her destination, feeling the wind rustle through her mane, she was blissfully unaware of ten watchful stares, observing her every move.

* * *

><p>Princess Twilight Sparkle awoke with a start; she sat straight up in bed, and violently inhaled. Even though she knew she had only slept for a few hours, she felt no traces of the previous night's fatigue left in her body. She rolled out of bed, and quickly donned her crown; something was very, very wrong in Equestria.<p>

"Spike!" she called out to her assistant, before remembering that while she had returned to Ponyville, he had opted to remain at the Canterlot Castle. Needing desperately to inform Princess Celestia of what she felt, and having no quick means of sending a letter to her, she knew the only way to inform her friend and mentor would be to fly to Canterlot herself. Rushing out onto the deserted street, she sprinted forward and extended her wings, hoping for the best. She still was an inexperienced flyer, and while she had made a trip from Canterlot to Ponyville, that had been mostly just a controlled descent, from the castle, located at a high elevation, to her library, which was at a much lower one. Now, she would need to rely on adrenaline, determination, and luck to carry her to the castle. Twilight beat her wings, and despite the difficulty, managed to get herself airborne, and on the way to Canterlot.

The castle of Canterlot was growing larger every second, giving Twilight the mental strength she needed to power through the exhaustion threating to overtake her body. Her wings felt like heavy lead weights, and every time she flapped them, a burning pain shot through her muscles. Gritting her teeth, she held her wings out, and glided down through the air, towards the entrance to the castle.

Twilight's landing was sloppy, and she stumbled several steps forward when her hoofs noisily slapped down on the polished stone floor.

"Princess Twilight!" a guard exclaimed, started by her sudden appearance.

"I need to speak to Princess Celestia, immediately!" Twilight ordered, breathing heavily.

"Yes, Princess" the guard said, bowing, and then moving off to alert the other princess; within ten minutes, Princess Twilight and Celestia were together in a meeting room.

"Princess Twilight; what is it that's troubling you?" asked Celestia, using her magic to pour a cup of tea for herself and her former student.

"That's just it, Princess Celestia; I don't know quite what it is. This morning I woke up, and I felt something was wrong, like there's something in Equestria that shouldn't be", Twilight explained.

"Did you feel anything else? Any sort of imminent danger, or maybe where this…wrong feeling originated from?" inquired Celestia.

"No…I only felt that something was very, very wrong. I guess it's kind of silly, and I was just overreacting to nothing," Twilight said, before hanging her head, feeling she may have made the wrong decision.

"No, not at all, Twilight," Celestia said, extending a wing underneath Twilight's chin, and raising her head up. "You need to learn to trust your instincts; it's an important quality for a ruler. You made the right choice, coming to tell me this," said Celestia, encouragingly.

"What do you think we should do now?" asked Twilight, an upbeat gleam glowing to her eyes.

"Do you still feel something to be wrong?" Celestia asked.

"No…not anymore; not as strong, anyway; I think all I'm feeling now is the after effects," replied Twilight.

"Very well, Twilight; but I want you to let me know if you feel any changes. For now though, you really should get some rest", Celestia told her.

As soon as Princess Celestia mentioned sleep, Twilight realized how tired she actually was. Her slumber had been interrupted, and she had been exhausted the night before. The flight from Ponyville had only made things worse, and she was in desperate need of a good, long rest.

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Marshall and a soldier from his squad, Corporal Jackson, had detached themselves from the main unit, electing to follow Applejack while the rest of the squad broke down into four other units of two, and reconnoiter the farm and surrounding areas. While she moved much faster than the two soldiers, they had managed to maintain visual contact with her while she was galloping towards her favorite hill.<p>

Marshall and Jackson closed in on her, as she stood waiting for the sunrise. With the first morning rays of the rising sun, Marshall was able to use his binoculars to get a good look at her. The fuzzy imaging provided by his night-vision equipment could obscure finer details, especially at a distance.

Raising the binoculars to his eyes, and adjusting the focus, Marshall's eyes were greeted by what, at first glance, appeared to be a basic pony, but had several very unusual features. One: the entire face was rather human-like, two: the pony wore a hat, and three: what looked to be a symbol of some sort stood out against the rear flank.

_Do horses get tattoos?_ Marshall wondered to himself, as he lowered his binoculars, and shot a glance over to Jackson. The corporal sensed the lieutenant had observed something unusual, so he produced his own set of binoculars, intent on having a good look at the pony they had been following. Pushing a low-lying branch forwards and out of the way, Corporal Jackson peered through the binoculars, taking in what he saw. Raising an eyebrow at the odd spectacle, and hoping to obtain a better look, the corporal leaned forwards, and that was when disaster befell him.

_Crack!_

The branch that the corporal had disturbed from its natural position broke as more pressure was applied and created a violent snapping sound that resonated through the silent orchard. Applejack whipped around to face the source of the noise. Branches do break from time to time, but not normally on a calm morning; not unless something broke them. Her concern was that something may have come in from the Everfree, perhaps a Timberwolf, or some other creature, and that it was loose in Sweet Apple Acres.

As soon as he had broken the branch, Corporal Jackson froze, knowing that any more movement would probably just attract attention. He was still partially covered by the branch, which was now dangling, suspended by only a few strands of bark and wood. He was relying on his camouflage and the shadow of the hill to avoid Applejack's detection.

Seeing nothing that indicated a threat to her or the orchard, Applejack shrugged it off. The rising sun crested over the horizon, casting rays of brilliant, golden light over the apple orchard. _Never gets old_, Applejack thought to herself, as the spectacle unfolded before her; letting out an enthusiastic "Yee-haw!" she bolted from the top of the hill, running full spring between the freshly illuminated apple trees.

"Well done, Corporal", Marshall said, sarcastically rebuking the soldier once Applejack was out of earshot.

"Sorry sir; won't happen again", Jackson replied.

"That'd be appreciated, Jackson; I'd rather us make first contact under better conditions," Marshall said lightly, before casting his gaze towards the sky. "C'mon, it's getting light out; we'd better get moving to be better observation position."

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash was sleeping peacefully in her comfortable bed. She wasn't a morning pony, and loathed having to wake up before the sun had risen into its late morning position. Suddenly, out of nowhere, some horrid, high pitched screeching noise forced her out of her blissful sleep. Infuriated by the interruption, Dash looked about her room for the source of the offending sound, and quickly singled it out as her alarm clock.<p>

"You!" she snarled at the hated instrument, taking off from her bed and flying over to it.

Striking the _off_ button with greater force then necessary, Dash hovered downward until her hooves were on the floor of her room. "Why did I set this stupid thing?" she wondered to herself, well aware she'd never want to wake herself in the morning without a very good reason. Then, it hit her; a new Wonderbolt requirement that mandated a bare minimum of 45 minutes of training every week-day. Her schedule later that day was packed, and as much as she despised it, she'd have to practice her flying in the morning.

Muttering her hatred for the rule, she began stretching out her wings, and headed for her balcony. The morning light forced her to eyes, which were still heavy from sleep, to squint in a pitiful attempt to block out the blinding rays. Standing out in the open air, she mentally planned out her flight path, which would take her by a series of distinctive land-marks, so she could check her speed, and make sure her pacing was correct. The first landmark was a tall hill near the edge of Ponyville, and she could barely make distinguish its outline. Setting herself up first and starting a stopwatch, she took off, tearing through the sky towards her intended target.

* * *

><p>Forman and his team were arriving at the outskirts of Ponyville. They were stationed on a tall hill, and would be taking up positions on any other high ground surrounding the town to conduct their surveillance. Eyeing the buildings, a wide variety of architecture was apparent; some buildings resembled old cottage-type homes complete with thatched roofs and timber framing, while others looked very much like buildings from present day Earth.<p>

"Interesting blend of styles", a soldier remarked, as if reading Forman's mind.

"Looks a lot better in person, than from aerial surveillance photos" Forman replied.

"Are we on the lookout for anything specific, sir?" the soldier asked.

"I'd keep an eye out for any buildings that look like they're government, or some sort of public service; schools and hospitals, for example", Forman explained.

"Or a town hall?" inquired another soldier, who was looking through binoculars.

"Exactly" Forman replied.

"You might want to see this then, sir", the soldier remarked, offering him the set of binoculars. Forman took them, and held them up to his eyes.

"Center of the town, sir; I can't guarantee it's a town hall, but it looks to have the making of it", said the soldier.

"Good job; keep an eye on it", instructed Forman. "Now, the rest of you-what? What the Sam Hill is that?!" the lieutenant asked, squinting at an object at the distance.

The soldiers followed gaze, and were equally baffled; what appeared to be a streak of rainbow was soaring through sky. Murmurs of surprise turned to mild alarm when the rainbow changed course, now bearing towards them. Some of them ducked as it flew overhead, and the rest stood in stunned silence as they heard it call out, in a female voice, "Yes; new record!"

Finally somebody asked, "What the hell was that?"

Shaking his head, Forman answered. "I have no idea, but we're going to find out; anyway everybody, let's get into position."

* * *

><p>"Jackson, we're not lost, are we?" Marshall asked, feeling they were absolutely no closer to finding their observation point then they were when they had originally left for it.<p>

"No, sir", the corporal said confidently, and then amended his statement. "Well…I don't believe we are, sir."

"Great; we are lost", Marshall sighed. "Gimmie the damn map" the lieutenant ordered, seizing the map and then taking the lead.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't have GPS, and it's hard to find any distinguishing features to navigate by", Jackson explained.

"I don't blame you, Corporal," sighed Marshall. "One apple tree looks like another, I suppose. You know…all these trees everywhere, they remind me of a time me and a buddy of mine had to get a tree stump out of the ground" Marshall said, reflecting on the incident. He stopped walking, and carefully studied the map, trying to plot a course out of the orchard.

"How'd that go, sir?" asked Jackson, keeping an eye out of trouble.

"Horribly; it took hours. At one point, we even resorted to shooting it with 12 gauge shotgun slugs", Marshall replied.

"Shotgun slugs, sir?" Jackson asked, followed by what Marshall guessed was the man trying to suppress laughter.

"They helped to break up the wood some; or so we like to think, at least", explained the lieutenant. "Like I said, it took quite a while. I'll have to tell you the full story sometime, corporal," Marshall said, and continued looking over the map. After a minute or so, Marshall remarked "You're being pretty quiet, Jackson." Receiving no reply, however, prompted Marshall to look over where the corporal should be. However, Corporal Jackson was nowhere to be seen.

"Jackson?" Marshall called out, fear seeping into his body. Marshall hastily stuffed the map into a cargo pocket and extended his rifle out in front of him, scanning the orchard trees for whatever it was that might have caused Jackson's disappearance.

Marshall felt an unseen attacker was stalking him from every direction, managing to avoid his detection, and silently creeping in while he had his back turned. He whipped around, ready to let loose a hailstorm of bullets at any threat that presented itself, but saw nothing other than orchard trees. Forcing himself to calm down, Marshall dropped down onto one knee, and called out over the radio.

"This is Pilgrim-3 Actual to Mayflower, over", Marshall said, remembering the call-signs even through his panic.

_"__Mayflower to Pilgrim-3 Actual; go ahead."_

"Mayflower, this is Pilgrim-3 Actual, I am reporting a bent sword, over" Marshall said, using the code word that had been assigned to a missing soldier.

_"__Pilgrim-3, Actual, this is Mayflower; confirm you reporting a bent sword, over."_

"Pilgrim-3 Actual to Mayflower, that is affirmative. I am reporting a bent sword, over."

Several uncomfortable moments of silence passed before a response came. _"Mayflower copies, Pilgrim-3 Actual; fall back to your squads rendezvous point and standby for further orders; Mayflower, out._

Marshall stood up, and heard rustling immediately behind him. Adrenaline shooting through his body, he tried to face the source of the noise, but before he was able to make anything out, everything in his vision went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"All Pilgrim elements, this is Pilgrim-1 Actual; Pilgrim-3 Actual has reported a bent sword, and is failing to respond to any radio calls. Fall back to primary regroup point, over."

Forman took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He and his men had been attempting to track some unknown flying object, but it moved at speeds much greater than they were capable of on the ground, and it wasn't long before they had lost sight of it. Now, Captain Becker, commander of both the mission and the unit Pilgrim-1, had informed them that Lieutenant Marshall, commander of Pilgrim-3, had reported a bent sword, the code word for a missing soldier. What's more was that after making the report, Marshall himself had failed to respond to calls for him over the radio; it could be assumed Marshall was now missing as well. Captain Becker was ordering his entire force, consisting now of 48 soldiers, to regroup at their primary regroup position and a quick look at the map told Forman that position was some three kilometers away; they would have to hurry.

"Alright everyone," Forman said, addressing his troops, "we've got a three-klick hike back to the regroup point. Two men are missing, so let's double-time it; move out!" Forman ordered, setting off with his unit at a brisk march.

* * *

><p>The two missing soldiers, Corporal Hunter Jackson, and Second Lieutenant Mark Marshall, were tied back-to-back and sitting in a dimly lit barn, under the observation of Applejack, and Big Macintosh. The two soldiers still had most of their gear; Applejack and Big Mac only removed their rifles, which were lying on a nearby table. Movement from Marshall, followed by a groan, let the brother and sister know one of their captives was coming around.<p>

As Marshall regained his senses, he did everything he could to gauge his current state of affairs. Obviously, he had been captured by someone, and was currently tied up against something, or someone; it was difficult to tell. It felt like he was still wearing his vest and helmet, and he had a pounding sensation in his head. A sudden burst of tinny noise directly in his ear intensified the pain, prompting him to grimace and groan; that must be the headset connected to his radio; at least he still had that. Opening his eyes, he saw a large blur of red color, and a second blur of orange, which was smaller than the first blur, and positioned next to it. Slowly his vision corrected itself, revealing that these two blurs were ponies, and that the orange one was the same he and Jackson had tailed earlier. Jackson; now that his senses were returning, he realized the corporal must be what he was tied up against. Corporal Jackson, however, seemed to still be unconscious.

"Who are you?!" demanded Applejack, stomping a hoof, and leaning in over Marshall.

Marshall opened his mouth, and racked his brain for the answer; he knew there was something he was supposed to say, but his mind hadn't processed the information yet. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, it came to him; name, rank, and service number.

"Mark Marshall, second lieutenant, United States Army; service number, 393-57-3102" Marshall declared.

Applejack and Big Mac exchanged glances; most of this had no meaning to them. They recognized a few key words; the rank of lieutenant, and the word army. He was a soldier of some sort, and Mark Marshall must be his name.

"Alright, Mark Marshall; why are you here?" Applejack asked.

"Mark Marshall, second lieutenant, United States Army; service number, 393-57-3102" repeated Marshall. Applejack stared him down; if he really was a soldier, then she needed to report his presence. Making a mental note to pay Twilight Sparkle a visit soon, she pressed him for more information.

"What were y'all doin' in Sweet Apple Acres?" she inquired, fearing for the safety of the orchard.

"Please don't make me say it again, it's all I'm going to give you" Marshall pleaded. Applejack assumed_ it_ was the seemingly useless string of information he had given her twice already. Marshall continued on; "Look, I think there's been a misunderstanding. Let us go, we aren't here to hurt you."

"Why should I believe you?" Applejack asked.

"Well, why shouldn't you?" Marshall attempted as a counter to her point.

"You two were sneaking 'round my orchard!" exclaimed Applejack.

Marshall grimaced; "Okay, yes, I do admit that seems a bit suspicious. But it's not as bad as it looks."

"Oh really? Then might you tell me what y'all were doin'?" asked the farmer pony.

"I really can't tell you that. I'm only allowed to give you my name, rank, and service number," said Marshall, apologetically.

"Well then; if you can't be honest with me, I see no reason to believe you" Applejack replied, matter-of-factly, and turned away from the two U.S. soldiers. "Big Mac, keep an eye on 'em. I'll go get Twilight" she said, terminating the interrogation.

"E'yup" replied Big Mac, fixing his gaze on the two men. Applejack left the barn, heading towards Ponyville.

* * *

><p>Forman and his squad finally had their destination in sight; the top of a hill overlooking the town they had passed earlier. A dense growth of trees and bushes provided concealment, while the hill itself was a good defensive position. Cresting over the top of the hill, Forman spotted Captain Becker, and hurried over to him.<p>

"Sir; what's our situation?" Forman asked.

"Still nothing from Lieutenant Marshall; Sergeant Major Erik has assumed command of Pilgrim-3, and we now know that Corporal Jackson was the soldier Marshall reported missing. He and Marshall had followed a local, and they never regrouped with the rest of the unit," Captain Ford informed him.

"Gotta' plan, sir?" asked Forman.

"Actually, yes, Lieutenant; you and I are going to go make contact with the local population", replied the captain.

"Sir?" Forman was half expecting some sort of joke. "I thought we needed more information before making contact; that was the point of our reconnaissance."

"That was the original plan, Lieutenant; however, it seems likely that Lieutenant Marshall and Corporal Jackson may have been taken captive. If that's the case, they already know about us, and if that's not the case, a search-and-rescue mission will probably attract their attention. Plus, we might be able to persuade them to help us locate our missing men", explained Ford.

"Alright then, sir; I'm ready when you are," replied Forman.

"Glad to hear it; in that case, let's get moving," Becker said.

* * *

><p>After finally getting a satisfying rest, Twilight Sparkle woke up in her room in Canterlot Castle. She rolled out of bed, secured her crown, and used magic to place it atop her head. After stretching out her muscles to purge the achy sensation of sleep from her body, she made for the door.<p>

Twilight was hoping to find Spike, and get back to Ponyville. Though the sense of alarm she had felt earlier had passed, she still wondered what exactly had caused it, and hoped her library might have a book that contained the answer.

"Now, where could that dragon be," wondered Twilight. Canterlot Castle was a huge structure, and it could take her hours to find her assistant. To improve her efficiency, Twilight made a mental list of places the dragon would likely be. The first place she was going to check was the dining hall; however it proved to be unnecessary when she encountered Spike on the way to the first location.

"Spike; there you are!" Twilight exclaimed, grabbing the attention of the small dragon.

"Your highness", Spike said, bowing elegantly.

"Spike, I told you not to do that", Twilight said irritably, letting out a huff.

"I know," replied the dragon, grinning up at her.

A slight smile broke through her face as well. "C'mon Spike, let's get back to Ponyville."

"Aw, what's the rush? Can't we stay here a little longer; have you seen the buffet at the dining hall?" Spike pleaded.

"Sorry, Spike" Twilight said, giggling, "I want to get back to the library and do some research."

"Oh goody…" Spike sighed, well aware this would likely mean long hours of note-taking and book-fetching.

"If you're a good little dragon, I'll let you go help Rarity with a dress she's designing, after we finish" Twilight offered as an incentive to help, playing off her assistance crush on the clothing designer.

"Fine" Spike agreed, silently rejoicing at the prospect of spending time with Rarity.

"Alright then; let's find a carriage to take us to Ponyville. I'm still not a very strong flyer, and I certainly couldn't make the trip hanging onto you", Twilight said. It didn't take long, of course, for a princess to appropriate two Pegasi guards and a carriage for transport, and very soon she and Spike were on their way back to Ponyville.

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Forman, Captain Becker, and a third soldier, Corporal Garnet, were all standing just beyond the outskirts of Ponyville, concealed by the surrounding greenery. Their objective, the town hall, jetted out over the roofs of other buildings like a beacon, and the three soldiers were contemplating the events about to take place.<p>

"There's no way we're going to reach that unnoticed, is there, sir?" Garnet asked.

"That would be highly unlikely, Corporal," Becker replied.

"I guess the best thing we can do is march straight to our target, and try to look as friendly as possible", suggested Forman. The term friendly would not, however, normally be used to describe the present appearance of the soldiers. Ford and Forman both carried new M4A2 carbines, which were based off of the proven M4A1, and Garnet carried an M16A5, the most recent addition to the iconic M16 family of rifles. Pistols in thigh-holsters, body armor, and grenades gave the impression these men were about to fight a war, rather than try to negotiate an alliance. Hopefully, these ponies would be ignorant to the power and purpose of U.S. weaponry. Otherwise they might be more inclined to run, rather than talk.

"No use delaying any longer; let's move," Becker said leading Forman and Garnet out of the bushes and onto one of the town's dirt roads, and out into plain view of all the towns inhabitants.

* * *

><p>Applejack was making her way through Ponyville heading towards Twilight's libraryhome. She was confident that Big Mac could keep the two prisoners captive long enough for her to report the incident to Twilight, who, being a princess, would handle the situation from there. Her primary concern wasn't that the captives might escape, but that their friends might come looking for them, or that Applejack herself could run into them. Though, now that she was in Ponyville, the likelihood of encountering any of these potential hostiles seemed low. Thankful she had avoided their detection, Applejack turned a corner, and let out a loud gasp; comin down the road were three soldiers, who all looked identical, more-or-less, to the two she and her brother had captured earlier.

Ponies were fleeing off the streets as they caught sight of these strange creatures. Their reaction reminded her of how she and her friends once feared Zecora, believing she was an evil enchantress living isolated in the Everfree Forest. Zecora, however, had ultimately proven to be both friendly and helpful, and Applejack highly doubted the same was true for the soldiers.

The group drew closer to her, and Applejack realized the one walking ahead of the other two had shifted his attention over to her. Frozen with fear, she stood perfectly still as they drew closer. Much to her surprise, however, all the creature did was incline his head slightly in her direction, the way one might do if they were offering a silent greeting. They were close enough now that Applejack could make out what they were saying.

"How do we look back there, Garnet?" the leader asked.

"Streets are deserted, sir", replied the one walking at the tail end of the group, who had been checking the area behind him every so often.

"Too bad we don't have a Humvee," grunted the one walking in the middle.

"We'd have to airlift 'em in by helicopter, the forest is too damn thick to drive through", commented the leader.

Applejack had no idea what they were talking about, but now that they had entered Ponyville, it was imperative that Twilight be made aware of their presence as soon as possible. Time was of the absolute essence, so once they had passed by her, Applejack broke out in a run towards Twilights house, careful to avoid any further confrontation with the soldiers.

* * *

><p>"There's the town hall," Ford said, gesturing towards the structure with his carbine.<p>

Forman looked at the building. "Let's hope there's somebody there we can talk to."

The three soldiers marched forward, towards their destination. There didn't appear to be any indications of activity inside the building, but that could very likely be due to their appearance. Most of the town's inhabitants seemed inclined to get indoors as soon as they saw the men.

Upon reaching the stairs leading up to the entrance, Corporal Garnet called out. "Sir, look at that!"

Forman and Becker turned and directed their gaze to where Garnet was pointing. What looked to be a golden carriage pulled behind Pegasi was flying in low towards the town.

"That's new", Forman said, raising an eyebrow.

"Quite so; apparently, they do have flight capabilities" Becker replied, while Forman's mouth pulled into a slight frown as he recalled the flying object he and his men had observed earlier; perhaps, there was a connection to the Pegasus pulling the cart.

"What would the plural of Pegasus be, sir; Pegasi?" Garnet asked, receiving a small shrug from Forman.

"Guess we can ask whoever works here," Becker said, walking up to the door and knocking several sharp blows on the door.

* * *

><p>Mayor Mare cowered behind her desk as the sound of the knocks resonated through the building. Three strange creatures were standing outside of the town hall, apparently demanding entrance. Even from her office, she could hear them.<p>

"C'mon, open up in there! We just want to talk!" bellowed one of them.

"We're not leaving until we talk to someone!" another voice shouted. Seeing no way that she'd be able to out-last them by hiding here in her office, the Mayor took a deep breath, and stood up. She walked calmly out from her office, and to the town halls double-door entrance. Pausing for a moment to compose herself, she cracked open the door on her left, and peered outside.

"Ah; finally!" the one closest to the door said, approvingly. "I am Captain Cole Becker of the United States Army, commander of the First Alternate Reality Group, here to speak on behalf of the United States of America."

Inhaling deeply once more, the Mayor swung the door fully open, and identified herself. "I am Mayor Mare, elected Mayor of Ponyville."

Becker nodded his approval at the mention of elections. "Excellent; Mayor, could we come inside?"

"Perhaps it'd be best if you told me what you wanted first?" she said, apprehensive about allowing them entrance to the building.

"There's a lot we have to talk about, ma'am. It really would be better to discuss it inside," Becker insisted.

Most Equestrians did not react well to strange new beings, and the Mayor was no exception. However, despite the outlandish appearance of the creatures, it seemed to the Mayor they acted friendly enough, and gave no obvious signs of hostility towards her, or the citizens of Ponyville, so she relented to their request. "Very well," she said, standing back so that they could enter.

"Thank you," Captain Becker said. "Corporal Garnet, you stay out here and keep watch; let us know if you run into any trouble. Lieutenant Forman, you're with me."

Mayor Mare watched the two creatures enter; the one called Ford was obviously the leader. She showed the pair to her office, and they sat down in two chairs in front of her desk. It was actually somewhat comical, the Mayor thought, seeing these odd beings attempt to sit comfortably in seats built for ponies. Eventually, they seemed to settle into a more-or-less comfortable sitting position.

"You said you had a lot to tell me?" the Mayor said, indicating that they should begin.

"Oh, yes ma'am; I'll start at the beginning," Becker said.

* * *

><p>Twilight Sparkle now had the library in her sight, and couldn't wait to get back and begin her research. If all went well, she could find some explanation for her feeling earlier.<p>

Surveying the town below her, she noticed something odd; the streets looked completely deserted. Normally she'd be able to see dozens of ponies going about their daily business, but she was unable to spot a single citizen of Ponyville. "Hmm…Spike, is there some sort of holiday today?" she asked her assistant.

"A holiday? I don't think so," replied the dragon.

"Odd; I don't see anypony out on the streets today," Twilight said.

"Really? Let me see," Spike said, standing in his tiptoes and sticking his head over the side of the carriage.

"Careful spike," Twilight cautioned, worried he might fall out.

"Hey you're right; well, there's Applejack at least", said Spike.

"Applejack?" Twilight asked, moving over to Spikes side of the carriage, and peering over the side where she saw her friend running at a full sprint.

"Guards, set us down beside her!" Twilight ordered the Pegasi pulling the carriage.

"Yes, Princess" the replied in unison, altering their course so that they'd intercept the Earth Pony.

"Applejack!" Twilight called out as they flew overhead.

"Twilight!" Applejack shouted back, rushing over to the landing carriage.

"Applejack, what's going on? Where is everypony?" Twilight asked her friend, as she hopped out of the carriage.

"Twilight, there's a bunch of weird creatures in Ponyville!" Applejack reported, skidding to a halt in front of the princess.

"Weird creatures?" Twilight asked, confused.

"I found two of 'em sneaking around Sweet Apple Acres this morning. Big Mac and I caught 'em, and one of 'em said he was a lieutenant in some army."

"A lieutenant, huh?" Twilight said, scratching her chin with her hoof. She was more familiar with military ranks than Applejack, and she knew that in Equestria's Guard, lieutenants would often serve as field commanders. While the U.S. and the Equestria Guard ranking structures were vastly different, in this particular case, they did fulfill much the same role. "I suppose you better take me to them," Twilight said.

"There's three of 'em in Ponyville; I saw 'em headed towards the town hall!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Alright then, we'll start there; hop in," Twilight said, instructing Applejack to get in the carriage. Once they both were aboard, Twilight ordered the guards to take the carriage to the town hall.

Observing Applejack, it was obvious to Twilight she was extremely worried by the creatures she described earlier. "C'mon Applejack, they can't be that bad. Remember how worked up everypony was about Zecora, and now she's one of our friends."

"Trust me Twi, these things are a totally different story," Applejack replied.

"Never judge a pony be its cover, Applejack" Twilight recited the old saying.

"Whatever these things are, they sure as hay ain't ponies" Applejack replied.

"Hmm…what are they, Applejack? What do they look like?" asked Twilight.

"Well, they've got a really short muzzle, they're all fleshy, they walk on their rear hoofs, and their front hoofs ain't hoofs," Applejack said, touching a hoof to her chin as the recalled the details.

Twilight's eyes shot open wide as she heard the description; she knew of only one creature that it matched, but it simply couldn't be possible. Using the technique her sister-in-law, Princess Cadence, had taught her, Twilight managed to calm herself down.

"Princess Twilight, we are approaching the town hall," one of the Pegasi guards reported. Looking out the side of the carriage, Twilight could see the building quickly growing larger, and there, standing outside the doors, was a human.

"Spike, I need you to send this to Princess Celestia," Twilight said, scribbling down a note and handing it to him.

"You got it," Spike said, blowing on the rolled up piece of parchment, sending it to the destination Twilight instructed.

* * *

><p>"Mayor, I'm glad we've managed to arrive at an understanding," Captain Becker said, having concluded the initial meeting between the United States, and any Equestrian government official.<p>

"I've had a letter that explains you and your presence here sent to our leaders in Canterlot, but I wouldn't expect a response from them today. In the meantime, however, you are of course welcome to search for your lost men," the Mayor said in reply.

"Thank you, Mayor; if it's not too much trouble, you might want to let your citizens know we aren't here to cause them any trouble", Ford said.

"I'll make sure to inform them of that," she replied.

Ford's headset cackled; _"Captain you might want to come outside." _Becker recognized Garnets voice.

"Copy that; we're on our way," Becker responded, signaling for Forman to follow him. The two soldiers exited the office, trailed by the Mayor, wondering what was going on.

The doors flew open as Becker and Forman walked through it, and out next to where Garnet stood. At once, Becker could see what the corporal had called about; two Pegasi were hovering in the sky above them, and some sort of purple Pegasus-Unicorn mix was standing on the ground, with a regular looking pony next to her. Much to the dismay of the three soldiers, none of these natives looked particularly happy to see them. Gripping their weapons, but keeping them pointed downward, the Humans waited for the Equestrians to make their next move.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: **I've ret-conned Captain Ford's name to Captain Becker. His name was similar to Lieutenant Forman, and it's tripped me up on more than one occasion. Apologies for any confusion the change may cause.

**Chapter 4**

Captain Becker assessed the situation; based on the rundown the Mayor had given him about the species that inhabited this place called Equestria, he, Forman, and Garnet were currently facing two Pegasi, Alicorn, and one Earth Pony. The U.S. soldiers were slightly outnumbered; thought the captain imagined that he and his men were packing significantly more firepower. Nevertheless, Captain Becker was not one to underestimate a potential foe, and issued a hushed order to Corporal Garnet. "Call command; request that they prepare air and artillery support in the event we need it. Report our status to the rest of our group and have them ready to reinforce us at a moment's notice."

"Yes, sir" Garnet replied, and immediately executed the captain's instructions.

Becker glanced over his shoulder where Mayor Mare had been, but found only empty space. Looking forward towards the Equestrians, he discovered she had moved ahead of them, and was bowing before the purple hybrid.

"Princess, you're here already! I only just sent the letter", the Mayor said.

"Mayor, what's going on?" Twilight asked, without taking her eyes off the three men in front of her.

"These are men from the United States of America; they're here trying to establish communications between their country, and Equestria," summarized the Mayor.

"Oh?" asked Twilight, suspiciously. "And they sent soldiers to establish diplomatic contact?"

"The existence of our world is a secret where they're from; soldiers were considered the most trustworthy to send to explore an unknown land, and then make contact", explained Mayor Mare.

Still suspicious, Twilight cautiously drew closer to the three men, never taking her eyes off them. The Mayor trotted closely behind her, ready to make any introductions necessary.

Becker allowed the situation to play out, but he kept his guard up. By now, Garnet should have finished talking with their commanders, and with only a few words Ford could call in aircraft for support, artillery for a fire mission, and the rest of the 45 man group of U.S. soldiers for reinforcements.

"This is Captain Becker," Mayor Mare said introducing the captain to the princess. "Captain, this is one of our ruling princesses, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"You're Humans," Twilight said plainly.

"Yes, we are," replied Captain Ford, surprised.

"How did you get to Equestria? The only entrance is the portal in The Crystal Empire, and it won't open back up for almost 30 more moons. And even if you did use that one, you should all be ponies right now."

"I think that is an excellent question," boomed a new voice from behind the soldiers. They wheeled around and found themselves faced with another Alicorn; one much larger than Twilight Sparkle, with a white coat, and a pastel-colored mane. She wore a crown as therefore was, presumably, a princess as well.

"Sir!" Forman explained, extending a gloved hand towards the sky. Looking up, Ford saw dozens of Pegasi guards hovering in the sky.

"Princess Celestia," Twilight said as a greeting.

"Princess Twilight," Celestia responded, before fixing her attention back on the captain. "Now, I believe you were going to explain just how you got here?"

"Through a rift connecting our two realities; I don't know the exact science involved," Ford said, shifting his gaze between Twilight and Celestia.

The two princesses exchanged glances, and Becker looked at Forman and Garnet. Both looked to be bracing themselves for what they believed was an inevitable confrontation. Hoping to preserve any peace that was possible, Becker turned his attention back to Celestia, trying to explain the situation to her as best he could.

"Look, I have two soldiers missing. My country sent us here to collect information so we could open up communications with you. We accelerated our plans for first contact because we were worried that they had run into trouble with you, and may have been captured," Becker explained.

Celestia looked puzzled, and the captain went on to ask, "Have you heard anything to that effect?"

Applejack, representing the element of honesty, felt obligated to answer the question. "Actually, I know where those men are."

Becker's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Where?"

"Well…ah…funny story there," Applejack said guiltily, rubbing the back of her head. "Big Mac and I found 'em out in Sweet Apple Acres and kinda'…knocked 'em out and tied 'em up in our barn," she said quickly, and taking notice of the look on Becker's face, quickly added "Now don't y'all go worrying none, they're fine; just tied up."

After a moment or so of silence, Becker looked back to Celestia. "Well, that answers that," he said, meeting her gaze.

Celestia squinted at the man. "Why are you here, Human?"

"Like I said, we were trying to collect information about your society so that our government could contact you," Becker replied.

"What makes our civilization of any interest to yours?" demanded Celestia, causing Becker to hesitate. So far, he had left out that the U.S. wanted to plant a military base here, seeing as it would likely damage the image of his country; especially considering they were trying to make a friendly impression.

"Human curiosity," Becker replied. "We have a natural inclination towards exploring new places." It was more or less a half-truth; the soldiers and scientists who were assigned to the hastily created United States Alternate Reality Command all held a deep desire to discover what this new universe held. His statement was accurate, but it left out the long-term military goals of the operation.

Celestia seemed to consider this; she bore no ill-will towards Humanity, but the sudden appearance of Human soldiers could certainly prove to be cause for concern. Her expression softened, albeit only very slightly. "What is it that you're proposing, exactly?" she asked.

Captain Becker was relieved; it seemed they were making progress towards friendly relations. "A meeting; you can choose the place and the date. We'll send somebody a bit more qualified than me as a representative."

Celestia nodded slowly. "Very well; I must consult with the other princesses first. It may take several days before I can provide you with an answer; Princess Cadence must travel from the Crystal Empire, located far north of here."

"Let us know when you're ready," Becker said, glad the entire operation hadn't been blown.

"I will leave you in the care of Princess Twilight Sparkle; Ponyville is her residence. I must return to Canterlot; there is much preparation to be done." Celestia beat her powerful wings, kicking up dust around the captain. She ascended into the air and began the return flight to Canterlot with most of her guards. However, Becker noted, she seemed to have directed a squadron of them to remain behind.

"I think we can tell our fire support to stand down, Corporal," Becker quietly said to Garnet.

"Yes, sir," Garnet replied, carrying out the order.

"That went well, sir" Forman remarked.

"It ended up working out better than I thought it would; I'm going to update command, you go and talk to our resident princess," Becker said, inclining his head in Twilight's direction.

"Yes, sir," Forman said, hoping he would manage to get her name right. The lieutenant walked up to the hybrid. "I take it you're Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, that's correct; you're Forman?" she asked, reading the Velcro nametag stuck to the front of his vest.

"Lieutenant Jason Forman," he replied, nodding an affirmative.

"Welcome to Equestria, Lieutenant Forman," she greeted. Apparently, Princess Celestia felt they had no hostile intentions, so Twilight felt she should offer a greeting. Of course, she would continue to monitor the Humans for the time being.

"Thank you. Oh, and we're going to want our men back," he said to Applejack, who, sensing hostilities had ceased for at least the time being, nodded her reply.

"I'll take y'all to 'em," she said.

Forman acknowledged her with a nod, and signaled for Captain Becker to join them.

"When you're ready sir, we can go pick up Marshall and Jackson," Forman said, once the captain arrived.

"Good; lead on," Becker said, motioning forward with his right hand.

Applejack and Twilight lead Becker, Forman, and Garnet down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"So Captain, how many Humans are there?" Twilight asked, trying to make some conversation.

"Here? We came with a group of 50; the largest group that's ever been sent through the rift," Becker replied.

Twilight nodded; not very long ago, she had theorized the Humans must have been responsible for the feeling she had earlier. A true researcher, she knew that alone wasn't confirmation for her theory; it could be an unlikely coincidence. However, it was still a likely explanation, so she let her mind rest on trying to figure out why the incident had occurred.

"50 Humans? I've only seen five, total," Applejack said.

Forman answered this time. "We've done our best to keep our group hidden. Though, walking through the streets of town earlier may have drawn some attention," he said, sarcastically.

"How long have you been here?" asked Twilight.

"We've only been here for a little over half a day, but the rift was discovered over eight months ago. We're the first ground mission, but our air force has been flying reconnaissance flights for months," Forman answered.

"Ya flew what, now?" Applejack asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Reconnaissance flights; it's where we get an airplane, and fly over an area to collect information about it" the lieutenant explained, but was met with only blank stares from the two ponies.

"Airplanes are sort of like flying…carriages, I guess; but they fly really high and fast…ah, forget it" Forman grumbled, aborting his effort to explain what an airplane was.

Applejack and Twilight exchanged glances, each trying to visualize a flying carriage, which ultimately raised more questions than it answered.

"Does it…have wings?" Twilight asked.

"Actually, yes," Forman answered.

Applejack shook her head, trying to clear her mind of a chuck-wagon sporting a pair of large, feathered wings.

The small group crested over the top of a hill, and the farm's sign, displaying _Sweet Apple Acres,_ came into view. "Here we are; home sweet home," Applejack announced, grandly sweeping her foreleg over the scenery.

The soldiers followed the pair to what was obviously a barn.

"So, this is where you've got Marshall and Jackson?" Becker asked.

"I know one of 'em is called Marshall; the other didn't speak," Applejack said, opening the door. A shaft of light entered the dark, expansive room, casting illumination on two tied-up Humans, and one large, red Pony, who looked to be leaning his head forward, as one might do if they were listening intently to what someone was saying.

Forman heard Marshall's voice carry over from the middle of the barn. "So, there I was-oh hey! Jason!" the captured soldier called to his friend. Apparently, he had been in the middle of telling one of his many stories. One, Forman thought, he had probably heard before.

Big Macintosh looked up, startled by the abrupt appearance of his sister, Twilight, and three Humans. "It's alright Big Mac; they're friendly! We think," she added as an afterthought, still cautious of the Humans.

"What took you guys so long?" Marshall asked as Forman got to work cutting the ropes.

"We got tied up in a meeting," Forman said, using his head to indicate Twilight was someone he had been meeting with.

"First contact then, eh? How'd it go?" Marshall asked eagerly, mildly disappointed he wasn't able to participate.

"Great; we had a big picnic, and played volley-ball" Forman replied, sarcastically.

"Could horses actually play volley-ball?" Jackson asked, while stretching out his arms and flexing his fingers.

Forman shrugged, and pointed his thumb at the building they were in. "Don't see why not; they built this barn." Forman paused for a second, thinking something over. "Hey, wait a second," he asked Applejack. "How _did_ you build this barn?"

"With the help of family," Applejack replied, cheerfully.

"No, I mean, how did you actually construct it?" Forman inquired.

Applejack, however, never got a chance to answer before Captain Becker cut in. "How are you two feeling?" the captain asked.

"I feel fine, sir," Marshall said.

"All good here too, sir," Jackson reported.

"Captain, according to protocol, they should be cleared by medical personnel before returning to duty," Forman pointed out.

"Yes lieutenant…protocol," Becker sighed.

"We can take them by the hospital to see Nurse Redheart," Twilight offered.

"Thank you, but if an examination must be done, I'd rather have one of our own medics look at them; I think that would prove more effective," Becker replied. "Though, if you would guide them back to town, I'd appreciate that."

"Certainly; are you not coming with us?" Twilight asked.

"I'll catch up; I need to update command on our status," responded Becker. "Forman, Marshall, Garnet, Jackson, follow her."

"Yes, sir," the four soldiers said, and followed Twilight out the door. Applejack and Big Mac followed shortly after, either to perform some chore on the farm, or to follow Twilight back to Ponyville; Becker didn't know which. He got onto his radio, and began giving updates to his commanders.

* * *

><p>Colonel Davis was sitting in his office at the compound constructed around the rift. He was expecting a visit from his superior, General Marsh, and the unexpected turn the mission had taken was weighing heavily on his mind, regardless of how well it had eventually turned out. The phone on the colonel's desk rang, interrupting his thoughts.<p>

"Davis," he said, after picking it up.

"Sir, this is Sergeant Miller; we have an update from Pilgrim-1 Actual." Davis recognized the voice belonging to one of the men from the operations center. Pilgrim-1 Actual, Davis knew, meant Captain Becker. Pilgrim-1 was the unit the captain lead, and the term _actual _was applied to indicate the commander, to whom the call-sign actually applies.

"Sent it," Davis instructed

"Yes sir; Pilgrim-1 Actual reports that the two missing soldiers have been located; both seem to be in good health, but they're being taken to a field medic for an examination."

"Thank you, Sergeant; is that all?"

"Yes, sir," Miller said.

"Alright; Davis out," the colonel said, placing the phone back down, letting out a breath of relief; at least there was some good news. The relief, however, was short lived, as the colonel heard someone knocking on his door.

"Enter," Davis called out, and in walked General Marsh. Davis stood and saluted the general sharply, and the general returned the salute.

"Please General; have a seat," Davis said, gesturing towards a chair.

"Thank you, Colonel," Marsh replied, taking the seat. Davis returned to his own chair, and waited for the general to speak.

"So, Colonel, I understand that your group's commander has already made first contact with the natives?" Marsh asked. The general's tone was incredibly neutral, betraying no signs of either irritation, or enthusiasm.

"Yes, sir; two soldiers went missing, and Captain Becker feared it may have been the result of actions by the natives, which was a correct assumption. He believed the best course of action would be to establish contact with the inhabitant's closest community, and explain their presence," Davis said.

"I see," replied Marsh.

"After Captain Becker met with the Mayor of the town, two princesses, who apparently lead the country, confronted Captain Ford and two other soldiers. Ford requested fire support to be made available, but the confrontation seemed to have gone well; Ford never needed any support, and the Princesses agreed to consider a meeting," Davis said, and Marsh simple sat there, silently.

"For the record, sir, I fully support Captain Becker's decision to make contact," Davis added, confidently.

Marsh sighed, and scratched his head. "Colonel, I agree that Captain Becker's decision was sound, but we weren't planning on first contact for weeks; months, even. This was supposed to be a long-term, low-profile surveillance mission so we could collect information to help us train a diplomat. As it stands now, we have precious little information about them, and absolutely no one trained to act as a diplomat."

"I understand, sir; we can request more time to prepare, I'm sure," Davis replied.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you of what will need to be done should the negotiations for a base fail, Colonel," Marsh said.

Davis nodded solemnly. "I know, sir; the men were instructed to collect any information that could prove valuable in an armed conflict."

"Good; make sure your men also know to not get too friendly with the locals too soon," Marshall replied.

"They're aware, sir."

"Excellent," Marsh said, standing up from his chair, followed by Davis standing up from his. "I am needed elsewhere, Colonel, but I wish you good luck," the general said.

"Thank you, sir." Davis replied, and the general departed from his office.

The colonel sat back down; the meeting with the general had gone well, more or less, but that statement about armed conflict bothered Davis. He had known, of course, that all options for establishing a base were to be considered, but now the idea of invading this new world bothered him. All he could do was hope it wouldn't be necessary.

Davis got back to work, trying his best to clear his mind of the general's words.

* * *

><p>Twilight Sparkle walked down one of Canterlot Castle's hallways, towards the throne room. Moonlight shone through the windows, reminding Twilight how late it was, and how busy her day had been. She had met the rest of Captain Beckers's men; the First Alternate Reality Group, they had called themselves. It was exciting to have Humans in Equestria, and Twilight privately hoped it could mean she'd be able to see the friends she had made at Canterlot High School while in the Human world, only this time without having to worry about the portal closing and trapping her in the Human world.<p>

Applejack had agreed to let the Humans stay in tents at Sweet Apple Acres, perhaps because she and Big-Mac felt guilty for capturing Lieutenant Marshall and Corporal Jackson.

Now, Princess Celestia had requested that Twilight meet with her, and she could only guess it would be about the Humans. As she drew closer to the throne room, Twilight went over mental notes she had made about the Humans, which Princess Celestia might wish to know.

Twilight entered the room, and suddenly found she was unable to remember the points she had been thinking of only moments ago.

"Princess Twilight," Celestia said, upon seeing her. The torch light and the glow of the moon cast gave the room an ominous look to it, and Twilight couldn't help but be nervous.

"Princess Celestia," she said, approaching.

"Sit, Twilight." Celestia used one of her wings to indicate a chair for Twilight to take.

"Thank you," Twilight said.

"Twilight, what do you think of these Humans?" Celestia asked.

"I think they're friendly; they don't seem to have any hostile intentions towards us."

"And what of their leader, Captain Becker?"

"I think he's a good leader; his men seem to like him. And he kept a level head when we confronted him earlier," Twilight responded.

"Yes, Mayor Mare seemed to have a very similar opinion when I spoke to her earlier," Celestia said. "Is there anything you can tell me about Humans, Twilight?"

"No, Princess. I told you everything I found out as soon as I came back through the portal. I didn't have very much time to find out information about Humanity, even if I was in a library," Twilight replied.

"It's a shame you weren't able to study there longer," Celestia said.

Twilight thought for a moment, and gasped as a thought struck her. "Princess, I might not have had much time to study Humans, but I know of somepony who did! Somepony who's had ample time to learn about them, and what the rest of their world is like."

Celestia's look of curiosity turned to one of enlightenment as she realized who Twilight was talking about.

"Sunset Shimmer," Twilight boomed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note: **The beginning here takes place right after the events of Chapter 4. Also, I'm starting school August 5th, so the chapter updates might be coming a little slower from now on.

**Chapter 5**

"Sunset Shimmer, Twilight? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Princess Celestia asked, remembering how Twilight detailed her encounter with Sunset Shimmer.

"I think it is, Princess Celestia; Sunset Shimmer can tell you much more about Humans than I can," Twilight replied.

"Yes, but is it safe to being her here?"

"Sunset Shimmer saw the error of her ways, Princess; she's willing to embrace friendship. Plus, the Humans will have to bring her through their rift; in her Human form, she has no magic," said Twilight.

Confident in Twilight's ability to assess the situation, Celestia nodded her head. "Very well then, Twilight; meet with the Humans tomorrow to arrange this."

"Yes, Princess," Twilight said. The two bowed to each other as a farewell, and Twilight turned to left the throne room, already making plans for Sunset Shimmer's arrival.

* * *

><p>"Twilight," groaned Rainbow Dash, "why did you drag me out here so early?"<p>

"Early? Rainbow, it's after nine o'clock" Twilight replied, receiving an icy stare from her friend. Rolling her eyes, Twilight said "I told you already, Rainbow, we're going to see the Humans." She, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie had all gathered together to trek over to the Human camp in Sweet Apple Acres.

"If you're making me come along on this, the least you could do is exempt me from the Wonderbolt's daily practice requirement," pleaded Dash.

"What? I can't do that," Twilight exclaimed.

"Uh, hello? You're a princess; you can do whatever you want! Including exempting your awesome best friend from practice requirements," Dash said, leaning her head close to Twilight and grinning expectantly.

"No," Twilight replied simply, turning her head away from Dash, who huffed and crossed her forelegs, using her wings to hover off the ground.

"C'mon Dashie; you should never miss out on an opportunity to meet new friends!" Pinkie Pie said energetically.

"You should never miss an opportunity to sleep, either," grumbled Rainbow Dash.

"I for one simply cannot wait to see the kind of inspiration I can draw on from their clothing," said Rarity, fantasizing about the exotic garments of dress she imagined beings of another world would possess.

"You've been awfully quiet, Fluttershy; is something on your mind?" asked Twilight.

"No," Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "I'm just a bit nervous, is all."

Of course, this had been the answer Twilight had expected. "Well, you don't need to be nervous about anything. I met them yesterday, and they all seemed very friendly," Twilight said.

Fluttershy nodded, and Twilight could tell she wasn't exactly reassured, but there wasn't too much Twilight could do about that.

Sweet Apple Acres came into view, and Twilight could make out the soldiers camp. It looked like a small village of tents, and Humans could be seen relaxing around it, or performing some minor task. As they drew closer, Twilight was able to make out faces. She identified Becker, Forman, and Marshall standing together, and directed her friends over to them.

Becker waved a greeting as they approached, and Twilight called out a greeting of her own. The three soldiers walked over to meet the group of ponies advancing towards them.

"Princess Twilight," said Captain Becker. "You brought friends."

"Yes; this is Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie," Twilight said, introducing each member of the group. "Girls, this is Captain Becker, Lieutenant Forman, and Lieutenant Marshall."

"I can't help but notice," said Rarity, grimacing, "your colors are very drab." She had heard the clothing was multi-colored, but this wasn't what she had pictured.

"Its camouflage…it _has_ to be drab" Forman replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Captain, can we talk?" Twilight asked.

"Sure; Forman, Marshall, show her friends around the camp," Becker said, and the two lieutenants lead the four ponies off to tour the small camp.

"Captain, we have someone we'd like you to bring over from your world," said Twilight.

"I assume by _we _you mean you and the other princess. Celestia, right?" asked Becker.

"Yes"

"Well, who is it you want us to get?"

"A unicorn named Sunset Shimmer; she crossed over into your reality through a portal in the Crystal Empire" said Twilight.

"Yes, you mentioned that portal yesterday; you said I should be a pony if I went through it, if I remember correctly."

"And ponies that cross through it become Humans. But like I said yesterday, it won't open again for another thirty moons, and we need Sunset Shimmer here as soon as possible," Twilight said.

"What's the rush?" Becker asked.

"We want Sunset Shimmer present before we begin the negotiations. She can help advise us on Human society, and at the same time, she's familiar with Equestria," Twilight explained.

Becker nodded, catching on. "And, you need to bring her through our rift, since your portal isn't open now."

"Exactly," Twilight said.

"It'll take a couple days to organize," Becker replied. "What's her name? Sunset Shimmer?"

"Yes; you can find her at Canterlot High School," Twilight informed him.

Becker let out a breath. "Hell…with a name like that, finding her shouldn't be too much of a problem. Anyway, if that's all, let's get back to your friends."

* * *

><p>Forman, Marshall, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were finished with the tour, and were sitting on logs that had been set up off to one side of the camp.<p>

"This place could really do with some spicing up," Rarity remarked, observing how bland the campsite was.

"Yeah? What do you recommend?" Forman asked, turning his head towards her.

"How 'bout balloons!" shouted Pinkie.

"Balloons, huh?" Forman turned his head from Rarity to where Pinkie sat, and was quite surprised to see her holding up three balloons with her left hoof.

"And streamers!" Holding up her right hoof, Pinkie held a roll of streamers.

"Alright, go for it," Forman said, electing to humor her; three balloons and one roll of streamers shouldn't be too much of a problem to clean up. The lieutenant turned his attention to the ground in front of him when he heard the sound of something rapid whizzing by him. He looked towards the source, and noticed that Pinkie was no longer sitting on the log. In fact, she had completely vanished from his view.

"What the…?" wondered Forman; there was no way someone could move that fast. Looking in front of him, towards the camp, he saw a blur of pink moving across his field of vision leaving behind balloons and streamers attached to the tents. Before he could fully process what was happening, Pinkie Pie appeared back in front of him, with a huge grin plastered on her face.

The lieutenant pushed her head to the side, and his jaw dropped when he saw the camp. The original bleak and utilitarian style had been broken by dozens of brightly colored balloons and streamers that had been attached to tents and various other pieces of equipment.

"Well, I'll be…" exclaimed Marshall.

"All this place needed was a bit of pizzazz!" exclaimed Pinkie, apparently quite proud of her work.

"Pinkie, darling…no," Rarity said, grimacing at how much uglier the scenery was now. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was quite amused by Lieutenant Forman's reaction, and chuckled at his shock.

Forman's daze was broken by a booming voice from behind. "Lieutenant Forman, what the devil have you done to my camp?!"

Forman spun around, and saw Captain Becker returning with Twilight Sparkle. The lieutenant quickly tried to explain; unaware that Becker was only feigning irritation.

"It was her, sir," Forman said quickly, pointing at Pinkie Pie.

"Me? I would never," Pinkie said innocently. She could detect even the beginnings of a joke a mile away, and it was obvious to her one was about to be played on the lieutenant.

"What? No, it was you! Marshall, you saw it, right?" said Forman, calling on his friend to back his story up.

"Actually, I wasn't really paying attention," shrugged Marshall. "Could have been either one of 'em."

"Marshall!" barked Forman shrilly. "Sir, it was her!"

"Really, lieutenant; I didn't see her come in with any decorations," said Becker. In fact, he had witnessed Pinkie Pie decorating the campsite, but couldn't resist an opportunity to cause Forman some harmless discomfort.

"C'mon Lieutenant, fess up; we all saw it was you," Rainbow Dash said. She relished in the opportunity to play a joke on somepony, or in this case, somebody.

Forman opened his mouth, about to defend himself, when he noticed everybody was grinning at him. He crossed his arms and silently pouted, much to the amusement of the humans and ponies alike.

"Do you need help cleaning up, Captain?" Twilight asked. She figured if she used her magic, wouldn't be much of a chore to assist in tidying up the decorations.

"Nah, we'll leave 'em up," Becker replied. "It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste," he said, grinning at Pinkie.

Friendly interaction between the two species continued for the next couple of hours. At one point, Applejack took a short break from her chores to join in with the group's conversation. However, it was almost midday, and Twilight knew she and her friends had other responsibilities to attend to.

The Humans and Ponies said their farewells, and Twilight lead her friends back towards Ponyville. Once they had cleared the camp, Twilight asked the group a question. "So everypony, what did you think?"

"They're agreeable enough, I suppose," Rarity said. "Even if their décor is a bit…lackluster."

"Awesome!" Dash said, summing up her opinions in one word. The Pegasus had taken an almost instant liking to Humans. She was self-confident enough to not feel particularly threatened by them, and their mention of airplanes had fascinated her. She didn't care much about the engineering aspect of aircraft, but more the idea that wingless animals wanted to fly badly enough they created machines for it; those were her kind of people.

"Worth waking up for, Rainbow?" Twilight teased, remembering the Pegasus's irritation at being awoken.

"Totally; that look on Forman's face alone was worth it," Dash replied, giggling at the memory of it.

Twilight turned her head to look at Fluttershy. "You haven't said much," she said to her friend. "What do you think, Fluttershy?"

"Well, they seemed nice and all, but how do we know they're being honest?" asked the yellow Pegasus.

"I guess we don't know for absolute certain, but I'd have thought you'd be the first to give the benefit of the doubt, Fluttershy," said Twilight.

"I am willing to accept them as friends, Twilight, but it just feels like there's something more going on," Fluttershy explained.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, dismissing her friend's behavior as just typical fear. "C'mon Fluttershy, quit worrying; that's Twilights job!"

"Rainbow!" shouted Twilight, through gritted teeth. Dash stuck out her tongue and then sped away, shaking a few leaves loose from trees as the whizzed by them. Twilight could try to give chase, of course, but there was no way she'd catch up to her friend. The princess merely shook her head, and tried to reassure Fluttershy.

"Rainbow's right, Fluttershy; I don't think there's anything to worry about. And besides," Twilight added with a smile, "they're camped out right next to Applejack; I'm sure that if they were lying, the wielder of The Element of Honesty would be all over them."

Fluttershy let out a small sigh. "You're probably right; I'm sure I'll get over it." She didn't sound sure though, and it continued to bother the Pegasus the entire trip back to her house.

* * *

><p>Today, Colonel Davis was standing in the operations center, rather than his office. This room acted as a mission control for the First Alternate Reality Group personnel on the other side of the rift, and it was this center that had been assigned the call sign, <em>Mayflower<em>.

"Colonel Davis," a communications technician said. "We've just received a message from Captain Becker; he's requesting to be able to speak to you."

"Did he say what about?" the colonel asked.

"No, sir," replied the technician.

Davis nodded, and then picked up a phone sitting next to the technician.

"This is Colonel Davis; go ahead," said Davis. They were not speaking over radio, rather a secured two-way communications network, so the colonel abandoned the use of call signs. This line was used to communicate sensitive data, so it was certainly secure enough for names.

"Colonel, this is Captain Becker. I have a request from the Equestrian government, sir," said Becker.

"Oh? What might that be?" Equestria, Davis knew, was where the First Alternate Reality Group was currently located.

"They're asking that we bring a woman named Sunset Shimmer through our rift," said the captain.

"Any reason why?" asked Davis.

"Yes sir; there's a portal in some place called the Crystal Empire that opens every so often; it connects our reality and theirs, but if you go through it, you transform into the species that inhabits that world. In other words sir, if you went through from our side you'd be a pony, and if a pony goes through on their side, they become a Human. The princess I spoke to thinks it would be a good idea to bring her in to act like a consultant, since she's familiar with both societies" explained Becker.

"Valid reasoning," said the colonel. "Do they know where we might find her?"

"Yes sir; someplace called Canterlot High School. I don't know anything else."

Davis thought about the request; it made sense, and would probably be easy enough to accomplish. Plus, it would mean Equestria owed the United States a favor, and while favors weren't recognized legally, it could still prove to be advantageous. "Alright, Captain; tell them to consider it done. I'll keep you posted on its status; anything else?"

"No, sir; that's all I can think of."

"Good; Davis out."

The colonel set the phone down, and turned to his assistant. "Contact CID; patch the call in to my office," Davis ordered. As his aid went to carry out the order, the colonel returned to his office, preparing to organize the return of this Sunset Shimmer person through the rift.

* * *

><p>"Captain, can I talk to you?" Becker looked up; Lieutenant Forman was standing at the opened entrance to his tent. The captain motioned for Forman to enter, and to take a seat.<p>

"What's on your mind, Lieutenant?" asked Captain Becker.

"Sir, have you considered that our interaction with the Equestrians was a bad idea?" asked the lieutenant.

"I assume you mean the friendly get-together we had earlier."

"Yes, sir; we were cautioned about making friends with them before the treaty talks finish. There's a chance we might be in a conflict with them," Forman pointed out.

Becker nodded his head; he had been expecting Forman might point this out sooner or later. "I see your concern, Lieutenant; but I want armed conflict to be our last resort."

"I do too, sir; I don't see what that has to do with making friends, though," said Forman.

"Whether you realize it or not, we, the members of the First Alternate Reality Group, could have a pretty big impact on how those treaty talks turn out. As the first men to make contact with the Equestrians, it seems likely we'll have some influence once talks begin. Seems to me if we're friends with the natives, we'll have that much more of a reason to make things work between our countries, and the same will be true for them," Becker explained.

"Valid point, sir; a rather large risk though, don't you think?"

"The United Kingdom's Special Air Service has a saying, Lieutenant; _who dares, wins_. Only time will tell if this was the right risk to take, but the rewards will be substantial if it is," Becker said.

"I see, sir; let's hope you're right," Foreman replied.

"C'mon, Lieutenant, have some faith. Besides, we aren't violating orders, just disregarding a recommendation," Becker pointed out, and the lieutenant seemed to relax slightly.

"I suppose you have to take risks to win a battle, sir," Forman conceded.

"That's the spirit; be willing to go out and make some new friends, Lieutenant," the captain said.

Forman stood up from his seat, and left the tent. He reflected on what the captain told him, and balanced risk against reward. Finally coming to a decision, the lieutenant began walking out of the camp, and towards Ponyville.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was a gray dreary morning. A light rain fell from the clouds above and formed shallow puddles along the road in front of Canterlot High School. There was little activity that morning, save for a few students shuffling along the sidewalk, and the two occupants of a black SUV, keeping watch on the school.

"Sunset Shimmer; what sort of name is that?" asked CI agent Sergeant Malcolm, one of the vehicles occupants. He set down the photo of her they'd been issued, and took a sip of bold coffee.

"The name of our suspect, Sergeant," replied another agent, Captain Sherrod.

"She's suspected of what, sir?" inquired the sergeant.

"Espionage, or so I'm told. This investigation was ordered by some group known simply as Unit Composition 340," answered Sherrod. Unit Composition 340, often abbreviated UC340, was the codename used by the U.S. Alternate Reality Command. It referred to the original group of 340 personnel that had been brought together to investigate the rift. The group had grown significantly in the past eight months, but the original number stuck.

Malcolm nodded an acknowledgement, and after another minute or so, broke the silence again. "So…what's with these skin tones? I've been seeing green, teal and even purple."

"Skin dyes," Sherrod said, letting out a chuckle.

"Skin dyes?" repeated Malcolm, totally lost.

"It's like hair dye, but for your skin," Sherrod replied, raising a pair of binoculars to his eyes. "Apparently, it's rather popular here."

"Skin dye…incredible," Malcolm sighed, expressing his distaste for the trend.

"Hey, to each his own, right?" Sherrod said philosophically.

"Yeah, I guess," Malcolm answered, raising his own binoculars. Scanning the horizon, he spotted their target. "Is that her sir?" he asked, pointing towards a distant group of approaching students. Sherrod looked through his own binoculars. "Yep, that's her." Grabbing a radio, he sent a message to the rest of the unit. "Target sighted; standby to move in on my command."

* * *

><p>"This weather is simply dreadful!" Rarity exclaimed, holding her backpack above her head in a futile attempt to shield herself from the rain.<p>

"No kidding; I'd give anything to be able to change it," Rainbow Dash said in agreement. Sunset Shimmer, who had been walking along with them, said nothing, and an awkward silence fell over the group. Rarity and Dash exchanged glances, and then Dash tried to bring Sunset Shimmer into the conversation.

"So, Sunset, uh…how's the clean-up going?" she asked. Sunset Shimmer had been required to assist in cleaning up parts of the damaged school. She couldn't do much construction since she lacked the necessary qualifications, so until a crew could get to the school, the hole in the entrance had been hastily patched up with a temporary barrier consisting of mostly plywood.

"It's going well; Principal Celestia has been exceptionally kind to me, and so have all of you," Sunset Shimmer replied.

"Anything for a friend," Dash replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

Before Sunset could reply, a new voice from behind said "Does it feel like we're being watched?"

The three friends turned around, and saw nothing. They looked at each other, and shrugged. Turning back around, they saw Pinkie Pie standing in front of them, staring intently down the road.

"Pinkie? How did you…ah, never mind," Dash muttered.

"What was that about being watched, dear?" inquired Rarity.

"A feeling that we're being watched!" Pinkie replied, which prompted Rarity and Dash to take a look around; Pinkie's _feelings_ were known to be surprisingly accurate. However, seeing nothing of particular interest, Dash shrugged at Sunset. "Ignore her," she said, and the four students arrived in front of the large high school.

"Look!" shouted Pinkie, pointing at something in the distance. The other three girls looked out in the direction she had indicated, and saw a column of sinister looking black SUVs pulling out from their hiding places around a corner. As the vehicles drew closer, blue and red lights illuminated from behind their windshields and grilles.

"My goodness; what is it?" Rarity asked.

"Trouble," gulped Dash.

The vehicles slowed to a halt in front of the school, and men wearing body armor and carrying rifles exited them. They fixed their attention on the four students in front of them; their weapons weren't pointed at the girls, but they weren't lowered towards the ground either.

"Sunset Shimmer," one of them, clearly the leader, said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Y-yes?" she stammered nervously.

"I'm Captain Sherrod; we're with Army Counterintelligence. You need to come with us," he ordered.

"Whoa, hold up! What's going on?" demanded Dash, taking a step forward. "You with _who_, now?"

"The U.S. Army's Counter Intelligence; we're federal agents, and we're here for Miss Sunset Shimmer," repeated Sherrod.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're going to have to go through us to get her!" Dash yelled back, but Sunset Shimmer put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "No, Rainbow," Sunset said simply.

"No? What do you mean no? We're your friends; we aren't letting these guys take you anywhere!" protested Dash.

"I can't ask my friends to put themselves in harm's way for me; especially when I haven't done anything to deserve it. I'll be okay, Rainbow," Sunset said. Then she looked at the agents; "I'll go with you," she said, and Sherrod nodded an acknowledgement.

Dash felt totally useless as she watched her friend walk forward towards the CI agents.

"What's going on?" someone asked Rainbow. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Applejack approaching, with Fluttershy following behind.

"Some federal stooges are here arresting Sunset," growled Dash.

"Arresting her? For what?" Applejack demanded to know; surely they weren't aware of her true identity.

"She's suspected of espionage," Sherrod replied. That much had been in the file given to him, but he didn't know any more of the case details; Composition 340 would be handling things after her arrest.

Rainbow Dash looked blankly at him, unfamiliar with the word.

"Spying," clarified Rarity.

"You think she's a spy?" asked Dash. However, she was growing slightly worried; what if Sunset's identity was known to them? What kind of trouble could she be in?

Sherrod was out of patience for questions; "I've said all I will," he said, and then he found his second-in-command. "Supervise; I'll go inform the school administration."

Captain Sherrod walked past the group of five friends, and into the school. The sight of an armed man bearing police markings drew attention from nervous onlookers, who made sure to give the captain a wide berth to move through.

Within a couple of minutes, Sherrod had located the principal's office. He knocked sharply on the wooden doorframe and without waiting, opened the door and barged into the office.

Startled, Principal Celestia looked up from the paperwork on her desk. "Can I help you?" she asked, regaining her composure.

"You're the principal?" Sherrod asked.

"That's correct," Celestia replied.

"I'm Captain Sherrod; Counterintelligence special agent." He flashed his credentials at her.

"Can I help you, Captain?" Celestia asked, clearly confused.

"No, ma'am; I'm here to inform you that one of your students, Sunset Shimmer, has been taken into custody," Sherrod said.

"Sunset Shimmer? Why; on what charges?"

"Espionage," said Sherrod, simply.

"Espionage? Have you informed her parents?" asked Celestia.

"We tried, but we weren't able to locate them. In fact, we can't find a birth certificate, social security number, or any other indication Miss Shimmer is even a citizen of this country," the captain replied.

"Captain, I do not believe Sunset Shimmer is the threat you're making her out to be," said Celestia.

"I'm not the one that considers her a threat; this task was directed by a different department," Sherrod told her.

"What department?"

"Some group called Unit Composition 340; I doubt you've heard of them," replied Sherrod.

Indeed, Celestia had not heard of them, but she had heard of government groups that went by enigmatic sounding names; Imperial Japan's Unit 731 during World War II, the Chinese 610 Office. Often times, the work undertaken by those groups was less than admirable. It seemed that the United States had developed such a group and now she feared for the safety of Sunset Shimmer.

"Captain, please believe me; you don't know what you're getting involved with," pleaded the principal.

"You're right; I've got no clue what I'm getting involved with, so if you've got any information to offer, it'd be appreciated," replied Sherrod.

Celestia said nothing.

"Yeah," sighed Sherrod; "I didn't think so."

With nothing more to say, Captain Sherrod attempted to terminate the conversation. "If you'll excuse me, we really need to be going."

"I'll show you out," Celestia said.

"Good idea; there are some of your students out front, friends of Miss Shimmer I guess, that you might want to give some reassuring to," Sherrod suggested.

The two left the office, and began to make their way back to the front of the school. As they walked down the halls, Captain Sherrod took in the surroundings.

"Something interesting you, Captain?" Celestia asked, noticing how he was scanning the hallways and classrooms.

"My high school looked pretty much the same when I was there over 15 years ago. Remarkable how they haven't changed much," commented the captain.

"We'd need money to change; you seem to be the one with all of that, nowadays."

Sherrod shrugged. "We're in an arms race with the Chinese; the defense budget is bound to receive priority."

"I just hope the world survives another arms race, Captain," said Celestia icily.

Sherrod sighed inwardly; he could see where this conversation was headed, and he had no interest in a political debate. He saw the patchwork covering the front entrance, and tried to change the topic.

"Nasty hole; how'd that happen?" asked the captain, and Principal Celestia was slightly surprised; if he didn't know Sunset Shimmer had done the damage, then it would seem he really was unaware of her identity.

"A driver lost control of his vehicle and rammed the entrance," Celestia replied. It had been the official cover story she and her sister had devised.

"That must have been some collision; it looks more likely damage from explosives," Sherrod said.

"I wouldn't know anything about explosives," Celestia answered, and Sherrod shook his head. "No, I suppose you wouldn't," he remarked.

The pair exited the building, and Sherrod pointed at Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy. "You might want to talk to them; looks like Miss Shimmer was one of their friends." Celestia nodded confirmation, and one last thought struck Sherrod.

"It's not really my place, but I'm surprised how lenient you are towards skin and hair dye," said the captain. Celestia, however, didn't seem to understand. "Dye?" she asked.

"Well, yeah; a good number of your students are using it; looks like you've even taken to it yourself."

Much to the captain's surprise, Celestia shook her head. "I assure you; no one is using dye."

"What? Of course they are; those aren't natural colors," protested Sherrod. However, before Celestia could entertain the conversation any further, she was called away by Applejack.

"Excuse me; I need to tend to my students," she said, moving away. Sherrod's eyes followed her, a dumbfounded expression on his face. He shook his head, and returned to the convoy, signaling to his men it was time to leave. He walked down the row of black vehicles, noticing Sunset Shimmer as he passed by the SUV she was in. Certainly, she didn't look like much of a spy, but Sherrod knew not to trust looks.

Moving along, he got back into his lead vehicle. He made a _forward_ gesture to Sergeant Malcolm, and the SUV broke away from the curb, followed by the rest of the column. As quickly as the agents had arrived, they were gone.

* * *

><p>"Captain Becker?"<p>

Becker turned his head towards the source of the noise; it was Twilight Sparkle.

"Princess," he greeted her with a slight incline of his head.

"Can you tell me anything about Sunset Shimmer?" asked the princess. It had been several days since she had made the request, and she was curious about its status.

"I just received confirmation that counterintelligence special agents picked her up from Canterlot High School; they'll be dropping her off at Joint Base Ingram, and she'll be moved to the rift site," Becker replied.

"How long until she's here, do you think?" asked Twilight.

"Tomorrow, most likely; I'll send Lieutenant Forman to escort her in," said Becker.

"Captain, would it be possible for me to go to your rift site and see Sunset before she crosses back to Equestria?" Twilight asked. She was hoping to explain the situation to Sunset as soon as possible.

"I'll have to clear it with command first, but I'll see what I can do. Once Forman gets back, I'll let him know to expect you," Becker said.

"He isn't here at the camp?"

"Not at the moment; he's in Ponyville. He's been spending a good bit of time there, lately," replied Becker.

"Now that you mention it, I have seen him around pretty often," Twilight remarked.

"Sight-seeing, I suppose," shrugged Becker. "Anyway, I'll go see if I can clear your request with command," he said, walking to the communications tent."

"Thank you, Captain; let me know when you know something," Twilight said. She spotted Applejack nearby, and since it would probably take more than a few minutes for Becker to clear her visit, she decided to trot over to her friend.

"Hey Applejack!" called the princess.

"Howdy, Twilight," replied the farmer. "Something I can do for ya'?

"Nothing, thanks; how are you doing?"

"I'm doin' fine," Applejack replied cheerfully. "What brings ya' out to Sweep Apple Acres?"

"I came out to ask Captain Becker a question; remember when I told you about Sunset Shimmer? They're going to bring her back to Equestria, and I wanted to be at their rift to see her."

"What'd he tell ya?"

"He's going to have to make sure it's okay with his commander," Twilight said.

"Why wouldn't it be?" asked Applejack.

"The rift is a big government secret for them," Twilight explained. "Only authorized personnel can cross through."

Applejack shrugged as if she didn't see what the big deal was; like many Equestrians, she wasn't particularly familiar with the concept of government secrets, or operation security protocols. "Well, looks like Captain Becker has an answer for ya'." The farmer pointed towards the U.S. camp, where Becker was exiting the communications tent.

"Alright; I'll see you later, Applejack," Twilight said.

"See ya', Twi," her friend replied. Twilight trotted back over to where the captain stood.

"What'd they say?" the princess asked.

"It's been approved," said Becker. "However, you're only cleared for hanger containing the rift; no touring the rest of the base, yet" he added with a shrug. This was all fine with Twilight; she had only wanted to welcome Sunset back to Equestria. "Be here at the camp at 0600 hours."

"Yes Captain; thank you."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Twilight trotted into the camp. The air was still cool from the night before, and the first rays of sun were beginning to poke out from behind distant hills. A small group of soldiers stood in a cleared out area, among them Lieutenant Forman, and much to Twilight's surprise, Rainbow Dash.<p>

"Rainbow? Are you going with us?" Twilight asked as she drew close to the group.

"I'm here to see one of those airplanes Forman was talking about," Dash replied.

"An airplane?"

"More of a tilt-rotor turboprop, really; it'll be our ride to the rift site," Forman explained. "It should be here in just a few minutes." Sure enough, several minutes later, Twilight's ears detected a noise totally unfamiliar; to her, it sounded as if something was rapidly beating against her eardrums, growing stronger with every second that passed. The sound became more and more powerful, until finally, a flying grey object emerged from behind the trees.

As the aircraft drew closer and decreased its speed to a hover, the princess looked at Forman, who had pushed goggles over his eyes, and was signaling Twilight to close her eyes. Not a moment too soon she shut her eyes, and felt dirt kicked up by the rotor-wash impacting her eyelids.

Twilight remembered how Forman had described aircraft; flying carts with wings. This description, Twilight thought, was barely adequate. It failed to capture to enormity of the sound and wind generated by the vehicle. The roar of the engines was all she could hear, and her hair was thrown about wildly.

After a moment, the sound wind began to die down as the power to the engines was cut. Twilight felt it was safe to open her eyes again, and get a good look at this vehicle; two large fans connected to the body of the aircraft by pylons. At the front of the vehicle, two Humans sat behind glass panels, and the craft was resting on wheels that extended out from the underbelly.

"A V-22 Osprey" Forman said. Twilight guessed that must be its name.

"That's what Humans fly around in?" asked Twilight

"It's one of the things we fly, yes."

"How fast is it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Why don't you asked the pilot," Forman said, gesturing towards the helicopter where several airmen were exiting the helicopter. They looked in amazement at the Pegasus and Alicorn, and made their way over to Forman, who took notice of their rank insignias; a pair of second lieutenants, his immediate juniors. They exchanged salutes, and one of the pilots spoke up.

"Sir, they have wings," he said, motioning with his head towards Twilight and Dash.

"That they do, lieutenant; and one of them has a magical horn," Forman replied.

The two pilots exchanged glances. "They briefed us on what to expect, but…" he trailed off, and Forman nodded understandingly. "Still kind of a shock, huh? The rainbow haired on, though, is very interested in your aircraft," he said, indicating Rainbow Dash. Once again, the two men exchanged glances, and wandered over to where Dash stood.

"Dash really came out here just to see your airplane?" Twilight asked Forman.

"Yeah, she sure did. I'll be surprised if she doesn't ask to race it," Forman said.

Rainbow Dash did, in fact, request to race against the aircraft. Forman, however, informed her that this wasn't the best time for such an event; later on, perhaps. Ultimately, Rainbow did follow the vehicle for a short period after takeoff. The soldiers did their best to get Twilight reasonable secure and comfortable in her seat, and the pilots had assured her they would avoid any aggressive maneuvering.

The princess heard the sound of the engines starting through the headset she had been given, followed by the sensation of rising up through the air. Her ears popped as the helicopter ascended through the air. Cramming her neck, Twilight was able to look out the view-port behind her, and saw that they were cruising above the Everfree Forest.

"Hang tight back there; we're beginning our descent," buzzed a voice over the intercom. The helicopter began to drop its altitude until it was soaring just above the canopy of trees.

"Here we go," Forman said, right before they passed through the rift. Twilight expected to feel some indication they had traveled between realities, but much to her surprise, there was nothing. The only time she felt anything was when the helicopter touched down inside the hanger.

The cargo ramp dropped down, and Forman helped Twilight with her seat-belt. The small group shuffled out of the helicopter, and Twilight took in her surroundings. They were in a huge room, bigger than any she'd ever been in before. An assortment of Human vehicles occupied one corner of the building. As Twilight scanned the other end of the hanger, she saw a group of humans. Concentrating on the distant figures, she saw one very familiar profile; Red and yellow hair, knee high boots, an orange skirt, and a black jacket. Sunset Shimmer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors note: **If you see any spelling errors, feel free to contact me over PM and point them out. The guy that used to help me with editing is too busy at the moment. Thanks for reading.

**Chapter 7**

Sunset Shimmer watched as the gray helicopter descended through what appeared to be a large hole in the side of the massive hanger. She had yet to receive explanation as to why she had been brought to the base, and therefore was totally unaware about the rift connecting the two realities, but when the occupants of the aircraft disembarked, she saw a purple pony standing among the humans.

"Twilight?" she asked herself. Sunset had only seen Twilight briefly, and she couldn't be sure at this distance, but it certainly looked like Twilight Sparkle.

"Get in," one of the soldiers escorting her ordered, pointing at a Humvee. Sunset opened the door and sat down on one of the rear passenger seats, next to an MP. Her vehicle and one other started their engines, and made their way down towards the helicopter.

* * *

><p>Twilight watched the approaching vehicles, feeling anxiety build up inside her as they drew closer. What if Sunset didn't want to come back to Equestria? If she refused, would they end up taking her against her will?<p>

Twilight took a deep breath as the Humvees slowed to a halt. Sunset exited from the vehicle along with the rest of the soldiers. She and Twilight locked eyes, and Sunset called out "Twilight? Is that you?"

"Yes Sunset; it's me," Twilight said, and Sunset looked relieved. However, it was soon replaced by a look of confusion.

"Why are you here, Twilight," asked Sunset. "

"I'm here to take you back to Equestria, Sunset," Twilight told her.

"Why?" asked Sunset. She was worried this may be some sort of plot for revenge.

Seeing her obvious concern, Twilight quickly reassured her. "It's nothing bad; I'll explain it soon when we have more time."

Sunset nodded, and hesitated. "How can we get back to Equestria, Twilight?"

Twilight drew in a breath, about to explain, when she saw Forman tapping his watch, signaling that they needed to be leaving. Instead of offering a long winded explanation, the princess instead said "I'll explain everything on the way; have a seat in…that thing." Twilight nodded towards the V-22, forgetting its name. One of Forman's soldiers escorted Sunset inside, while the lieutenant himself called for Twilight, beckoning her over to where he stood with another man.

"Twilight, this is Colonel Davis; he's the commander for all operations involving the rift. Colonel, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle, one of four ruling Equestrian princesses," Forman said, introducing the pair.

"Princess," Davis said, and briefly inclined his head towards her. It was a respectful greeting, she realized, but not exactly a bow. Nevertheless, it didn't particularly bother her, and she smiled back at the man. "Colonel Davis," she said in acknowledgement.

"I hope my men haven't caused you any trouble," Davis said.

Twilight shook her head. "No, they haven't caused us problems," she said, then remembered the fiasco that occurred the first day they arrived. "Well, too many problems," she amended.

"Good," Davis said. "Anyway, you should probably be on your way."

"Yes, sir," Forman replied. He and Twilight returned to the helicopter. Everyone had buckled themselves in and was only waiting on the lieutenant and the princess. When they were secure in their seats, the pilots started the engines and taxied the aircraft around to face the rift.

"Alright Sunset," Twilight said, to gain the attention of the unicorn-turned-human. "Let me fill you in on what's happening," she began, before delving into the details of the present situation.

The vehicle lifted off into the air and flew out through the rift. After exiting the confines of the hanger, the helicopter picked up speed and soon disappeared from the sigh of any observers watching from the hanger.

* * *

><p>"Let me help you with that."<p>

Applejack looked up from the barrels of apples she was in the process of rolling up a ramp and into a cart and saw Lieutenant Marshall standing a meter or so away from her.

"Thank ya', but I don't need any help," Applejack said, and turned her attention back to the barrels.

Marshall however, was not to be dissuaded. "I insist," the lieutenant persisted, walking over to one of the barrels. "After all, you are letting us stay here effectively free of charge."

Applejack rolled her eyes and grumbled. "Fine," she relented, and Marshall grabbed both ends up a barrel. Grunting, he lifted it up over the side of the cart rather than roll it up the ramp.

"You're a curious one, lieutenant; I had y'all tied up in a barn, and now here ya' are trying to help," Applejack remarked.

Marshall only shrugged; "I don't hold grudges against people who violently assault me," the lieutenant said with a grin. It wasn't necessarily true; he didn't harbor any ill-will towards Applejack since it was obviously a misunderstanding, and he preferred to nonchalantly dismiss the issue.

Applejack wasn't quite sure if he was serious or not, but it appeared he saw the incident as irrelevant. She rolled another barrel into the cart, and Marshall surveyed the orchard trees.

"You've sure got a lot of apples; what do you do with 'em all?"

"Sell 'em, bake 'em, make cider, eat 'em raw, just about everything you can do with apples," she told him. "This cart here's headed for the market in Ponyville."

"Do you grow anything other than apples?" Marshall asked.

"'Course we do," said Applejack. "We've got grapes, corn, carrots, heck we even get zap apples. We also raise cows and chickens."

Marshall nodded; he had seen some of the farms animals. Applejack rolled the final barrel into the cart, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Whelp; looks that that's the last of 'em; thanks for the help."

"My pleasure," Marshall said, and then tilted his head as he heard the sound of a helicopters rotors beating against the air. "And there's Forman; they must be about to land. If you don't need anything further, I think I'll be off." The lieutenant touched two fingers to his forehead in an informal salute, and Applejack responded by tipping her hat. Then, the two were heading their separate ways, Applejack into Ponyville, and Marshall back towards the landing zone.

* * *

><p>The V-22 returning from the rift site touched down at the landing zone. This time, however, the engines remained on, and after the passengers had cleared from the area, it was descending back into the air and on its way back towards the rift.<p>

Once the dust had settled, Sunset Shimmer looked around her. It had been years since she had set foot in Equestria, aside from when she came to the castle in the Crystal Empire to steal Twilight's crown.

Somebody said her name, breaking Sunset out of her daze. Twilight was waving at her, obviously trying to get her attention. "Oh…sorry, Twilight; I was just…"

Twilight nodded, indicating she understood. The princess could only imagine how it must feel to return after spending so many years away. "I was saying you can spend the night with me in Ponyville, and we'll catch the morning train to Canterlot."

Sunset inhaled sharply when she heard the name _Canterlo_t; her former home. _Her_ Canterlot; not the Human town in which she had taken up residence, but the city and castle she had grown up in. And at the castle, she knew, would be Princess Celestia. A chill went through her as the thought about facing the princess after her obvious betrayal. If she would be in Canterlot tomorrow, this would be a very short day, indeed.

"If you have any questions for us, now would be the best time to ask," Forman said. Sunset guessed that _us_ meant the soldiers, and she shook her head. She wasn't particularly comfortable around them, although Twilight seemed to regard them as friends.

"Very well," Forman said, picking up a backpack and handing it to her. "There's some clean clothing in there, a toothbrush, some toothpaste, and a bar of soap."

Twilight nodded an awkward thanks, and peered inside. Much to her relief, she had been given civilian clothing, although it was a bit dull; several pairs of socks, sneakers, a few green t-shirts, beige shorts, and a belt.

"Rather than try to guess what size clothing you wear, we just had someone pick up shorts and a belt," Forman explained, and once again drew nothing more than a brief nod out of Sunset, who was looking at the approaching form of Lieutenant Marshall.

"So, this is our ex-unicorn?" he asked once he reached the small group.

Twilight nodded. "Sunset Shimmer, this is Lieutenant Marshall."

"Hello," the lieutenant said, and Sunset waved a greeting. It was obvious to Twilight she wasn't at ease, and decided to try and spare her any further discomfort.

"If that's all, I think we'll be off," Twilight said.

Forman and Marshall exchanged glances and shrugged. "Captain Becker might want to talk to you later; I assume we can reach you at the library?" asked Forman.

Twilight nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at the train station, Lieutenant."

"See you," Forman said, ending the conversation. While Twilight trotted off with Sunset, he and Lieutenant Marshall watched them go. Once they were out of earshot, Forman leaned his head towards Marshall. "You think she might try to escape?" he asked, referencing Sunset Shimmer.

"Guess it's possible," Marshall replied. "Think we should keep an eye on her?"

"Probably; _we_ have to report to Captain Becker though," Forman said, looking around for someone who would be free to carry out the task. "Garnet, Jackson," Forman called out the names of two nearby soldiers, and beckoned them over.

"Yes, sir?" they asked after hurrying over.

"I need you two to keep an eye on Sunset Shimmer; make sure she doesn't try to run off, or cause any other trouble," Forman instructed. "Grab your surveillance gear before you go."

"Yes, sir" the men answered, and ran off to grab their equipment.

* * *

><p>"So Sunset, how are things with you?" Twilight asked, trying to make conversation.<p>

"Not bad," Sunset said. "Well…other than being held for a couple days at a military base," she added with a smile to show there were no hard feelings about it.

"Ha-ha…sorry about that," Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head and averting her eyes.

Sunset merely shrugged. "It's fine." She was more open to conversation now that she wasn't surrounded by soldiers.

"So…how long have those soldiers been here," Sunset asked.

"Not long; maybe a week and a half, two weeks at the most," Twilight replied. "Why?"

"No reason; just curious."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Twilight tried to change the subject. "So…have you ever visited Ponyville?"

Sunset shook her head; "No, I spent most of my time in Canterlot."

"Well, I'm sure you'll see some familiar faces while you here," Twilight said as they entered the town.

Sunset raised an eyebrow, and Twilight chuckled. "C'mon; I'll show you around," she said, leading her towards Sugar Cube Corner.

* * *

><p>Corporal Garnet lifted a pair of binoculars to his eyes and observed the movements of Sunset Shimmer. He and Corporal Jackson had trailed them from the farm to the town, always making sure to keep visual contact with them while remaining far enough away to prevent detection.<p>

"Is she making a run for it yet?" Jackson asked, eager for details.

"No; just like the last time to asked me," Garnet replied with a huff.

"Don't get pissy; I want to know what's going on down there, and you've got the only good pair of binoculars!" Jackson exclaimed.

Garnet said nothing, and went back to silently observing the pair.

Jackson sat in silence for a few brief moments, and then piped up again. "What's she doing? Is she causing any trouble?"

Garnet sighed and handed the binoculars to Jackson. "Looks like they're going into a bakery."

"A bakery?" Jackson asked, fine-tuning the focus for his eyes.

"A bakery," Forman repeated. "Sugar Cube Corner."

* * *

><p>Sunset followed Twilight through the door and into Sugar Cube Corner. The interior was wood and the walls were covered with candy-themed decorations. A counter stood in the middle of the room, and behind it there was a pink Earth Pony who looked vaguely familiar.<p>

"Hi ya', Twilight!" she called out, waving a hoof in the air.

Sunset's mouth puckered in concentration; she _knew_ that voice. After a moment or so, realization dawned on her and she cast a surprised look towards Twilight "Is that…?"

"Pinkie Pie," Twilight confirmed.

* * *

><p>"I wish we had brought along a parabolic dish, or something; that way we could hear what's going on in there," said Garnet. The binoculars were back in his hands, and he had been observing the bakery almost non-stop.<p>

"I wish we had brought another pair of binoculars. That way I could see what's going on down there," Jackson grumbled. Garnet rolled his eyes and handed Jackson the binoculars, who took them eagerly. "Yeah, you're right," Jackson admitted. "It would be nice to be able to hear what's going on."

"Maybe we should get closer?" suggested Garnet, rising off his belly and onto one knee.

"Wait! Don't move; they're coming out," Jackson warned. If Garnet continued to rise, it might draw their attention, despite the distance and camouflage.

* * *

><p>Twilight, Sunset, and Pinkie had all exited the bakery. With the introductions concluded, the three were saying their farewells.<p>

They're on the move again," Garnet said as Twilight and Sunset began walking down the road.

"Let's get after 'em, then," Jackson replied. Before they got a chance to leave their position on the hill though, they heard a voice behind them call out "Hey! What are you two doing here?"

Lying on their bellies, they had to cram their necks around to look behind them. Much to their surprise though, there wasn't a single person or pony in sight. The corporals exchanged confused glances when they heard the voice again. "Up here!"

They looked up and saw Rainbow Dash sitting stop a tree-branch. A pillow sat at the right angle created where the branch met the trunk.

Garnet racked his brain for a response. Flattery is a good tactic, he thought. He'd try that. "We were…looking for you!" he exclaimed, breaking into a grin.

"Me?" asked Dash, confused.

"Well, yeah," Garnet replied. "Lieutenant Forman ordered us to find you; he said he wanted to talk to the fastest flyer in all of Equestria."

"Forman wants to see the fastest flyer in all of Equestria, huh?" she asked, grinning. "Well then, he's come to the right place!" she exclaimed proudly, buffing out her chest while levitating midair.

"He's back at camp; you should get over there. Whatever it was, it sounded urgent," said Garnet. Rainbow was off in a flash, headed towards the camp at Sweet Apple Acres.

"Did you really think it was the best idea Forman wanted to talk to her? Now she's going to try and find him, expecting some sort of job," Jackson said.

Garnet shrugged. "It was the best I could come up with. C'mon, we should get going."

Garnet began walking down the hill and Jackson hurried after him. "Do you think we should let Forman know she'll be coming?"

"Probably," Garnet said, grabbing his radio.

* * *

><p>"Here we are, Sunset; Golden Oak Library. Home sweet home." Twilight announced as they arrived at her home.<p>

"You live in a library?" asked Sunset.

"There's a bedroom upstairs," Twilight explained. "Besides, when I was at Canterlot High, I slept _on_ books."

Sunset grimaced; that didn't sound particularly comfortable.

"Well, let me show you inside," said Twilight, opening the door and proceeding in after Sunset.

"Spike!" Twilight called, and a few seconds later the dragon appeared. He crossed his arms and fixed Sunset with an icy stare; he still wasn't particularly thrilled about what had happened back in the Human world.

"Sunset Shimmer is going to stay with us tonight," she told him. He nodded and glared at Sunset before backing out of the room.

"He seemed to be in a good mood," Sunset said.

"I'm sure he'll come around; c'mon, let's get you settled in.

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Forman sighed and set down his radio.<p>

"Good news?" Marshall asked, walking over to him.

"Rainbow Dash caught Garnet and Jackson tailing Shimmer. They managed to deflect her suspicions, but now she's on her way here because she thinks I want to talk to her," Forman reported.

"What are you gonna tell her when she gets here?"

"I don't know," admitted Forman. "Any ideas? We probably don't have very long until she arrives."

"Nope; none," Marshall said cheerfully and began to walk off.

"Where the hell are you going?" demanded Forman.

"I'm getting out of here; I don't want to be anywhere near her when she finds out you didn't really want to talk to her," Marshall replied. "Good luck."

Before Forman could reply, he heard a _whooshing_ sound. There was only one thing he could think that would be making that sound; Rainbow Dash. Forman turned towards it, and sure enough he could see the blue Pegasus rapidly approaching.

As she drew closer, Dash didn't show any signs of slowing down. With her now at an alarmingly close distance, Forman took a step backwards, and braced for an impact that never came; seconds before collision, and with enormous effort on her part, Dash slowed herself to a halt, hovering a meter or so away from the lieutenant.

Most likely a stunt to show off her flying, Forman thought to himself.

"Rainbow Dash, reporting as ordered!" she barked enthusiastically, trying to copy military stereotype. "Corporal Garnet said you needed me for something?"

"Right," said Forman, his mind racing. "I wanted to see how fast you could get down here, before you…get entered into the race."

"What?! C'mon, I was napping! You woke me up just for that?" Dash exclaimed, and then paused a moment. "Wait…what race?"

"The race against our helicopter, of course," said Forman, remembering her apparent interest in having a race against it. "I needed to get you down here to have you fill out some information, and display some of your flight abilities to make sure you're qualified."

"What kind of abilities?" asked Dash. She relished in an opportunity to show off to a willing audience.

"Well…see that tall hill over there?" Forman asked, and pointed towards the landmark; Dash nodded. "I want you to fly there and back, as fast as you can. On the count of three; one-two-three-go!" shouted Forman, and Dash soared off. As Dash flew towards the hill, Forman desperately looked for something else to have her do. He sighed; he was going to have to get creative.

* * *

><p>Garnet and Jackson were, once again, in position to perform surveillance on Sunset Shimmer. They had climbed onto the roof of a building to get a good vantage point to observe Twilight's house, where she and Sunset were currently located.<p>

"You think Forman managed to deal Rainbow Dash yet?" asked Jackson.

Garnet shrugged. "Probably." He peered at the library through the binoculars.

"See anything?" asked Jackson.

"Nope," Garnet replied.

Jackson was silent for a few seconds. "Think she might try to climb out a window?"

Garnet, however, scoffed at the idea. "In those boots she was wearing? There's no way."

Jackson nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, good point. What's with those, anyway? They look really uncomfortable."

"Maybe they're supposed to be easy to get on and off?" Garnet suggested.

Jackson sighed. "I dunno…I really don't get women's fashion." With no new statements to add, the conversation died, and the two men were left, once again, in silence.

"So…" Jackson began, trying to find something to talk about. "See anything?"

* * *

><p>"Quite a display."<p>

Lieutenant Forman turned his head and saw Captain Becker closing on his position. The captain nodded his head towards Rainbow Dash, who was in the middle of performing yet another one of her signature moves.

"Yes, sir," Forman agreed.

"Though, I'm curious, what's the reason for this airshow?" Becker asked, nodding towards Dash as she soared overhead.

Forman quickly explained why Dash was there, as well as the events that resulted in her arrival.

Becker scratched his chin in concentration at the end of Forman's explanation. "You sent Corporal Garnet and Jackson to keep surveillance on Sunset Shimmer?" His tone was neither one of approval or disagreement.

"Yes, sir; I wanted to make sure she wouldn't try to escape," Forman replied.

"A bit unnecessary though, don't you think, Lieutenant?"

"Sir?" asked Forman, confused. To him, it seemed perfectly necessary to keep eyes on someone who was both important to an upcoming diplomatic event, as well as a person who had demonstrated questionable judgment in the past.

"Well, think about it, Forman," Becker began. "Where would she escape to? Not our rift; it's too well guarded. She spent most of her life in Canterlot; she won't be familiar with Ponyville's terrain. And there isn't anyone, or rather, anypony here that would help her, since she had no friends."

Forman saw the captain's reasoning; without reliable methods of obtaining supplies and shelter, attempting to avoid working with the U.S. and Equestrians would be pointless.

Becker continued on. "Even if she did decide to escape, it probably wouldn't take more than a couple hours to locate her. She has no evasion training, whereas we have FLIR, UAVs, dogs, and so on and so forth."

Taking all this into consideration, Forman was beginning to doubt the necessity of the task he had assigned Garnet and Jackson to.

"One last thing; she'd have to get away from Princess Twilight. From what I hear, Twilight's pretty damn powerful. Not that I have any idea how magic works," he added as an afterthought.

"I see your point, sir," Forman said. "You think I should recall Garnet and Jackson?"

"It's up to you, Lieutenant; I won't make it an order," Becker replied. "However, that would probably be prudent."

Nodding, Forman reached for his radio, and relayed instructions to Garnet and Jackson. At the completion of his message, Forman turned around and found Rainbow Dash beaming confidently at him.

"So, how was _that_ for fast?" she asked.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Sunset Shimmer lay in a bed across from Twilight's. The Alicorn appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but the newly arrived Human was wide awake, the thought of having to face Princess Celestia haunting her.<p>

Her time spent with Twilight that day had provided a temporary distraction from these troubles, but her new friend was asleep now, and Sunset was left with no company other than her own thoughts.

The longer she laid there, the more stress she built up within herself. Finally, after resigning herself to facing a worse-case-scenario, one where she could never make up to Celestia and would instead be forever hated by her former teacher, a single tear slid down Sunset's face. Another followed, and soon Sunset had broken out into a light sob.

"Sunset?" Twilight's voice cut through the dark of the room, and Sunset looked towards the source of the voice. She squinted as Twilight turned on an overhead light.

"Sunset, what's wrong?" Twilight asked, sliding out of her bed and walking over to Sunset's, concern evident on her face.

"Twilight," Sunset said, managing to keep her voice steady, "What if Princess Celestia won't forgive me? I betrayed her trust and…" she trailed off, but Twilight didn't need any further explanation.

"You don't need to worry, Sunset; she'll forgive you," Twilight said reassuringly.

"How can you know?" asked Sunset.

"The first thing she asked me when I returned was if you were alright," Twilight informed her.

"Really?" asked Sunset.

Twilight nodded. "She was worried about you; doesn't seem to me she would hold a grudge against you."

This revelation calmed Sunset down considerably, and she was able to let out a short bark of laughter. "I guess I've been working myself up over nothing."

Twilight giggled slightly. "I know plenty about that," she said, recalling all the times she'd worried over nothing. "Anyway, you should get to sleep," Twilight said, walking back over to her bed, climbing in, and turning off the light. "We've got a big day ahead of us, tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors note:** This one actually turned out a bit longer than I had originally planned. Anyway, I'm sure you know the drill; thanks for reading, and please report any misspelled/confusing words to me so I can correct them. Enjoy.

**Chapter 8**

The Mane Six stepped out of their train car and onto the Canterlot station's boarding platform. They were followed shortly after by Captain Becker, Lieutenants Forman and Marshall, Sunset Shimmer, and Spike.

"Welcome to Canterlot Castle," said Twilight, addressing the small group of humans.

Lieutenant Forman looked nervously around him at the city that was perched on the side of a mountain. "Is it…safe?" he asked.

"Of course it's safe" Twilight responded, chuckling slightly at the lieutenant's mild discomfort. The structure might look haphazardly placed on the mountainside, but the castle had stood firm for hundreds of years, and she had total confidence in the structural integrity of the foundation.

Forman still looked slightly skeptical, but followed along with the rest of the group as they left the train station.

"Looks like a welcome party," said Marshall to Forman, nodding his head towards an approaching platoon of Royal Guards, whose golden armor was glistening in the morning sun.

"Let's hope it's a welcome party," Forman replied, remembering their previous encounter with Royal Guards. As the two groups drew closer, however, the Equestrian soldiers didn't display any signs of hostility.

The U.S. soldiers observed as the guards elegantly greeted Princess Twilight. No guards had been assigned to her for the train ride, Becker noticed. This could be a sign that the Equestrians didn't regard the Humans as a threat to them, which would make these meeting much easier.

The Equestrian guards escorted the group into the castle. As they moved deeper into the structure, Forman tried to forgot the fact that beneath the castle was nothing but a several thousand foot drop. Finally, they came to a pair of large, elegant doors.

"Here's the throne room," said Twilight.

"The rest of your rulers are in there?" asked Forman.

Twilight nodded. "Six counting myself; four princesses, and two princes."

The well-oiled hinges of the doors made almost no noise as they began to slowly open. Becker turned his head towards his two men and spoke. "Well, let's get going." With the doors now fully open, the mixture group of Humans and Equestrians entered the room.

* * *

><p>Three sharp knocks at Colonel Davis's door alerted him to the presence of someone outside.<p>

"Come in," he called, and in walked General Marsh. The colonel stood as his superior approached from across the room.

"General, please have a seat," Davis said, and Marsh plopped down in one of the chairs located in front of the colonel's desk. Davis returned to his own chair.

"Colonel, what's the status on securing a treaty with…Equestria," the general asked, recalled the name of the foreign land.

"Captain Becker and two of his subordinates are meeting with Equestria's leadership today, sir. If all goes according to plan, this will open up further diplomatic contact in the future," Davis reported. Marsh, however, did not look impressed upon by this. In fact, Davis thought, he looked tired; stressed. This was some cause for concern; Davis knew the general did not worry easily.

"How long in the future are we talking about, colonel?"

"Difficult to say, sir; a treaty like this could take months, or years even. After all, we are hoping to install a base of operations in their territory."

"Not good enough, dammit!" Marsh snapped, and Davis was slightly taken aback. Something must be weighing heavily on the generals mind for a reaction like that.

"I'm sorry, Colonel," Marsh apologized, "I'm sure you're doing your best."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, why the sudden urgency?"

Marsh sighed and leaned forward on Davis's desk. "I can't tell you too much, colonel, but I will say Chinese naval capabilities are becoming problematic. You're familiar with their Type 096 nuclear sub, I assume."

"The Tang class; I'm vaguely familiar, sir."

"With a capacity of 24 SLBMs you can see how something like that would cause us some concern, especially now that the damn things are everywhere. And that's only one example, Colonel," Marsh said.

"Are you saying a nuclear attack against us is a likely occurrence, general?" Davis asked quickly.

Marsh, however, only shook his head. "What I'm saying is we need every advantage we can get, and we need it now." The general paused for a moment, regarding the officer in front of him. "Colonel Davis, I want you to take charge of the negotiation process."

"I've been trying, sir, but I'm having trouble sorting out good candidates for a representative."

"You misunderstand me, Colonel; I want you to meet with their leaders, and secure a defense treaty."

The colonel's eyes shot open wide. "Me, sir?" asked Davis, stunned.

Marsh nodded. "As Director of Strategic Defense Projects, I have the authority to appoint you as our representative." The position the general held had been created a few years prior to oversee a variety of U.S. military projects. When a rift to an alternate reality had been discovered, it had been brought to his attention, and he immediately saw the potential value of constructing a base there.

Davis, however, was less concerned with the general's authority to appoint him to the task, and more concerned about his own abilities. "Sir, I'm honored, but surely there are people far more qualified than me. After all, I'm not a diplomat."

"No Colonel, you're not a diplomat; you're a soldier, and as such you've built your entire career on defending this country. That's exactly the kind of person I want representing us."

Davis did not reply. After allowing for a quick moment of silence, the general continued. "My staff will fill you in with all the necessary details of your assignment. I would not be asking this of you, Colonel, if I didn't have complete confidence in your ability to succeed."

Davis sighed. "I'll do it, sir," he said eventually.

"Excellent, Colonel; the United States couldn't have a finer representative," Marsh said with confidence. "My staff will contact you later to brief you. Regretfully, I must be departing now."

The two men shook hands, and General Marsh left the office. His superior's confidence in him is what convinced the colonel to accept the assignment, but he still wasn't positive he was up for the challenge.

"Couldn't have a finer representative…" he muttered, echoing the words of the general. Davis shook his head. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

><p>"Guess that went well enough," Forman remarked as he, Becker, and Marshall exited the throne room.<p>

"I dunno…that one prince didn't seem to think much of us," Marshall replied. "Shining Armor, I think it was."

"What about the other guy?" asked Forman. "Blueblood, right?"

Marshall shrugged. "He didn't seem to have much of an opinion. In fact, it seemed like he'd much rather be somewhere else altogether."

"Well…either way, I guess as long as we can win over Shining Armor, we'll be set."

"That'll probably be easier said than done," Becker said. "He's the captain of their guard; he's going to be suspicious of us."

"Then we'll just have to avoid giving him a reason to doubt us," Forman said as they continued on their way down the hall. It was, however, going to be more difficult than simply giving no reason for doubt. As they left the throne room, Shining Armor regarded them with a frown.

Despite being normally friendly and good-natured, Shining Armor was not fond of these Humans, nor was he particularly trusting of the place they came from, the United States. From his point of view, a foreign nation sent armed troops into Equestria for the purposes of intelligence gathering. Normally, such an operation would be viewed as an act of aggression, if not an act of outright war. Shining Armor decided he wouldn't trust them until they gave him a good reason to. His sister, however, seemed much more optimistic.

"Twilight," he said as she passed by him on the way to the door. The princess turned and acknowledged him with a glance. "Are you sure about these guys?"

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight. She had seen his brothers apprehension towards the Humans, of course, but was wondering where it was rooted.

"How do we know we can trust 'em?" Shining Armor replied, jerking his head at the fading forms of the three U.S. soldiers as he said the last word.

"I don't _know_, I just do; it's a feeling," Twilight answered. Feelings, however, were not enough to convince a stallion like her brother.

"Think about it Twilight; while we're all here talking things over, they could be moving more and more troops into the country to attack," Shining Armor said, drawing a slight huff of irritation from Twilight. Before she could respond, he continued quickly. "This would be the best time to attack; all our leaders are assembled in one place attending what they believe to be peace talks."

"Or maybe they're being perfectly honest with us, and they're actually trying to establish diplomatic contact," said Twilight, with a hint of frustration evident in her voice.

Shining Armor could see this approach was not working, so he decided to switch tactics. "Twilight, remember when Queen Chrysalis was disguised as Cadence? You were the only one who suspected her, and you turned out to be right. How can you know the same thing isn't happening now, and they're only pretending to be our friends?"

Twilight let out a sigh. Logically, she couldn't think of any way to defeat her brother's argument. At the same time though, she didn't suspect the Humans of any treachery. Finally, she simply said "Why don't you go talk to them?"

"What?" Shining Armor was a bit surprised by this suggestion.

"You heard me; you should go talk to them; maybe even bring up some of these concerns with them. I'm sure Captain Becker would be glad to address any of your concerns," Twilight said.

"Hmm…" Shining Armor rubbed his hoof against his chin. If these Humans couldn't provide satisfactory answers or refused to comment, that might be evidence of hostile intent. On the other hand, it could alert them to the fact he was on to them. He weighed the options, and finally decided that he had made it already clear at the first meeting he was suspicious of the Humans. He had nothing to risk from talking to them.

"Alright," he agreed.

* * *

><p>Captain Becker was standing on an outside balcony leaning his elbows against the waist-high stone wall, an apple in his right hand. From this elevated position he had an unobstructed view for miles and could see the cluster of houses and buildings that was Ponyville. Just a little beyond these structures, he could make out the fields of Sweet Apple Acres; where his apple had come from.<p>

He heard the sound of hooves against the polished tile floor. Initially he dismissed the sound as quickly as the noticed it, but as it grew louder it dawned on him whoever was making it must be drawing closer. Turning around, he saw Shining Armor approaching him.

"Prince Shining Armor," Becker said as a greeting, all the while thinking his proper title was quite a mouthful.

"I prefer _captain_, actually," Shining Armor replied.

Becker let out a chuckle. "I would too."

Shining Armor swept the attempt at a joke aside. "Captain Becker, I have some questions I'd like answered."

Becker spread his hands in an inviting gesture. "I'm all ears."

"I'll be blunt, Captain; despite my sisters optimism, I'm not sure I can trust you. She has, however, convinced me to allow you the benefit of doubt, at least until you give me evidence that you're up to something."

Becker didn't reply. Instead, he simply stood in silence, waiting for Shining Armor's question.

"How do I know, Captain, your forces aren't mobilizing to attack Canterlot while you visit under the pretense of peace?"

Becker smiled slightly, in spite of the situation. "It would be the ideal time to attack, wouldn't it? Wipe out your leaders with one strike. But you were all here this morning, Captain; why would I put myself and two of my men at risk by arriving here?"

"You didn't know we would be here this morning; it could be you were sent ahead as an advance party to confirm our presence," Shining Armor pointed out.

"Well, I know you're here now, and do you see any attacking force? Any infantry swarming over your battlements, or marching down your streets?" asked Becker.

"You couldn't get your army from Ponyville to Canterlot in only a few hours," Shining Armor said. As far as he was concerned, absence of evidence was not evidence of absence.

"If I was going to attack Canterlot today, wouldn't I have just moved my men into position last night? They could move under the cover of darkness, and they'd be poised to attack on my command," Becker replied.

Shining Armor had to admit to himself that Captain Becker had a point. "Maybe you didn't move them into position last night because you weren't sure all our leaders would be here today." It wasn't a strong defense, but it was the best Shining Armor could muster.

Captain Becker, however, shook his head. "I know Princesses Celestia and Luna are at Canterlot, and I know that they're your top-tier leaders. I'd have attacked whether you and Cadence were here, or not."

Shining Armor's mouth tugged into a thoughtful frown; what Becker said made sense, but it still didn't prove the Humans had no aggressive intentions. "I'll be keeping my eye on you," he said while turning to leave.

Becker watched Shining Armor go; he wasn't sure if the Equestrian had been convinced, but it appeared he was at least willing to believe there was no sneak-attack planned for that day.

* * *

><p>"Let's hope they don't think it's a sneak-attack, sir" These words were directed to Colonel Davis by a sergeant standing by the loading ramp of a V-22, which was resting on the LZ at Sweet Apple Acres. One day had passed since Captain Becker left for Canterlot, and now Colonel Davis would be flying to the city. He would arrive, albeit expectantly, on the second day of the initial U.S.Equestria meetings.

The sergeant's concern about a sneak attack stemmed from the fact that they had not been able to radio Captain Becker, or either one of his lieutenants to inform him of their intentions to arrive.

"Sir; you don't think Captain Becker walked into a trap, and that's why there're not answering, right?" asked one of the corporals that formed the colonel's escort.

"Doubtful; most likely, the radio transmissions can't penetrate the stone walls of the castle. Or, maybe Captain Becker forgot he was wearing his radio, sat down, and broke off the antenna," said Davis reassuringly.

In reality, the battery on the Captain's radio had died. Forman and Marshall had radios of their own, but these had been turned off to conserve battery life, causing them to miss the transmission.

The colonel boarded the turboprop, and the pilots turned on the engines. A cloud of dust was kicked up from the rotor-wash as the propellers built up speed, and soon the gray aircraft lifted off the ground and directed itself towards Canterlot.

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Forman rose from his bed and stretched out his arms. It felt good to sleep in a real bed again, he thought, as opposed to the sleeping mats in use at the camp.<p>

He exited the bed and quickly dressed himself. As he walked around the room to work out any kinks in his body, he heard several yelping cries of alarm emanating from somewhere outside his window.

He peered out of it, hoping to find out what the apparent fuss was about. After his eyes adjusted to the change in light, he noticed a pony pointing a hoof towards the morning sky. Forman scanned the horizon, and saw what was causing all the commotion; a lone V-22 Osprey was cruising through the air, obviously headed for Canterlot.

Which, Forman though, couldn't be right; these aircraft weren't uncommon sights in Ponyville, where they were used to resupply the U.S. soldiers camping at Sweet Apple Acres. That being said, there was absolutely no reason for one to be flying this close to Canterlot. He rubbed his eyes and looked a second time, but there was no denying it; a V-22 was defiantly inbound to the city.

The lieutenant wandered back into the hallway and found that all the commotion outside had roused the rest of his group. The ponies and soldiers were all wondering what was causing such apparent alarm. Taking notice of Forman as he entered their midst, they began to pop off questions at him, hoping perhaps the newcomer would have some answers.

"Captain," Forman said to Becker, then addressed the rest of the group "and others; there's a V-22 in close proximity to the city. In fact, it looks like it's going to land."

"That's what all the screaming's about, then?" Marshall asked.

Becker sighed, "Yeah, that'd probably do it." He looked at Twilight and her friends. "No offense."

Twilight shrugged; Becker's observation was accurate. "Rainbow, follow after them; see if you can keep more ponies from panicking when they land."

"On it!" Dash replied, galloping towards a window and hopping out of it. She was lost from sight for a second or so, then reappeared heading after the aircraft.

"We should probably get going ourselves," Becker said.

Before they would move after the Osprey, though, a single shouted command resonated through the hallway: "Freeze!"

Several Royal Guards brandishing swords and spears were barring the hallways exit, Shining Armor among them. Noticing obvious danger and acting on pure instinct, the three human soldiers drew their service pistols and aimed them down the hall at the Equestrians.

"Becker, you liar!" Shining Armor shouted accusingly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Becker.

"One of your machines is attacking Canterlot!" In reality, it was merely inbound to the city, rather than actually assaulting it. However, the appearance of the U.S. aircraft was enough to convince Shining Armor an attack was imminent.

"Shining Armor, listen to me," Becker said calmly. "We are _not_ attacking your city."

Shining Armor hesitated, but only for a few moments. He decided he had been entirely too trusting of the foreign soldiers and it was now time to take up arms in defense of Equestria.

The standoff, however, quickly came to an abrupt end. The Equestrian and U.S. soldiers alike felt their weapons jerked from their grasp, and a series of loud metallic bangs sounded as they impacted the stone floor. Each side was now armed with nothing but air.

"Maybe we could actually find out what's going on before you start killing each other?!" boomed a furious Twilight Sparkle. Purple-colored magic aura buzzed angrily around her horn as she used her magic to keep the weapons plastered to the ground.

Becker lowered his hands out of a shooting position so that they instead hung by his hips. "Truce?" he called across the hall to Shining Armor.

"For now," Shining Armor agreed.

Under Twilight's watchful eye they maneuvered the halls of Canterlot Castle. They came to an exit just in time to catch a glimpse of the V-22 disappearing behind a building as it landed somewhere in the city.

Dash remained airborne, flying in circles above the landed aircraft and trying to keep ponies near the LZ calm. She was having little success though, judging from the cries of alarm that were coming from that direction.

The group made their way through the city. As they approached the landing zone, ponies ran past them in the opposite direction. Rainbow Dash was still flying overhead and they oriented themselves based on her position. She watched them approach for a few seconds, and then flew down to join them.

"I tried keeping everypony calm, Twilight," Dash said as she landed by her friend. "It didn't work out well, though."

Twilight nodded; she hadn't really been expecting it to, but she thought it best to send Dash ahead, regardless. "Thanks, Dash."

Finally they reached their destination. The gray aircraft sat stationary on the ground with a small group of humans standing near its rear. One of them pointed as they saw the approaching Humans and ponies, and they began to walk towards them.

Becker scanning the group of Humans, and singled out on man as the leader. He wasn't close enough to make out his face yet, but as the two groups drew nearer recognition dawned on him. "Colonel Davis?" Becker called. It was a question as much as a greeting.

"Captain; it's good to see you," Davis replied. The two groups had now reached each-other and were standing in two parallel lines. He recognized Twilight and greeted her as well. "Princess."

"Sir, what are you doing here?" asked Becker.

"General Marsh appointed me the official representative of the United States during these negotiations," Davis said. "We tried to radio you and let you know we were coming, but you never responded." The colonel looked about, as if only just now noticing the impact his presence was having. "I hope I didn't cause you any problems." This final statement was directed at both his men, and the Equestrians that stood beside him.

Becker exchanged glances with Shining Armor. "No, sir; no problems here."

Shining Armor picked up on Becker's tone; it carried a subtle _'told-you-so'_ message that he knew could only be directed at him. In light of his hostility, Shining Armor supposed he had it coming.

Colonel Davis on the other hand seemed to not notice, and smiled broadly at the Equestrians. "Excellent. Now," Davis began, "I've already had the pleasure of meeting you, Princess Twilight, but I'm still unacquainted with the rest of your leadership."

Twilight recognized that the colonel was suggesting he meet with the other princesses. "They'll be at today's meeting, Colonel Davis; I'll introduce you then."

Davis responded by nodding his thanks. "Well, it seems there's nothing more to discuss here; shall we be going?"

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed. "Yes; certainly. None of us have had breakfast yet, Colonel; care to join us?"

"Thank you, yes; that sounds wonderful."

They returned to the castle using the same route to get to the landing zone, though this time the trip had considerable less urgency. The members of the group made small talk among themselves as they traveled the roads of Canterlot.

After the breakfast Twilight had spoken of, it was time for the second days meeting to commence. Despite Davis's appearance, the original purpose of the meetings remained the same; to break the ice between the two countries. It did mean, however, that official negotiations could begin much sooner than originally expected. A messenger had been sent ahead to inform the other princesses of Davis's arrival.

As Humans and Ponies entered the throne room, Becker heard someone call his name.

"Captain Becker, can I speak with you?"

Somewhat to Becker's surprise, it was Shining Armor. He stood aside and gestured for Shining Armor to proceed.

Shining Armor waited until they were alone in the hallway to speak. "I owe you an apology, Captain; I really thought you were an enemy of Equestria."

"And now?" asked Becker.

"It…seems much less likely you're planning an attack," Shining Armor replied.

Captain Becker shrugged; it'd do for him. "Don't worry about it; you're in a difficult position." The presence of soldiers that were not only from another country, but from a different reality would cause any military commander concern; especially in a place like Equestria, where peace was prevalent.

The two stood silently outside the throne room, neither one really having more to add. Voices began emanating from the interior of the throne room, and Becker gestured toward it with his head. "We'd better get in there, they're starting without us."

Shining Armor nodded agreement, and the pair walked through the doorway and into the throne room.

* * *

><p>In the Everfree Forest, something stirred. It stretched through the shadows of the dense and wild woods, unseen by Pony or Human eyes. A thousand tendrils shot up from the ground.<p>

These actions were not controlled by intelligence. Its motions were instead directed by pure instinct. It was an ancient evil that had been set into motion thousands of years prior. It knew, however, its target.

The Tree of Harmony; the controller of all life in the Everfree Forest. This was the intended prey, and now thick black vines stretched out from the ground, ensnaring the tree.

The effect was immediate. Like a parasite, the vines began to seep the life out of the tree they were attached to. The Tree of Harmony's magic was immensely powerful, but it would soon begin to wane. These new plants would spread through the Everfree Forest as the tree weakened. Once they gained enough strength, the second stage of their mission would begin; their attack on Equestria.


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors note: **My longest chapter yet. Enjoy; please report any misspelled or confusing words.

**Chapter 9**

"Colonel Davis, I don't see the benefit of stationing a large quantity of your troops in Equestria."

"Like I've explained before, Princess Celestia, if we post more of our soldiers here Equestria will receive substantial defense benefits. You'll be provided with both a deterrent from attack, as well as a means to respond to any attacks that do come."

"So you keep saying. But currently Equestria has no enemies; there isn't any need for your base."

Lieutenant Marshall groaned and rubbed his temples as Celestia and Davis continued their back-and-forth conversation. This had been going on for almost a week now and he was growing sick of it. These negotiations were proceeding so slowly, in fact, that Cadence and Shining Armor had returned to the Crystal Empire. Marshall suspected it had been to escape the mine-numbing boredom of these meetings.

Checking his watch, he saw that this meeting was, once again, running long. Defeated, he let his head fall forward onto the table which produced a much louder sound than he had originally intended.

"Princess," Davis began, ignoring the smacking sound that Marshall's forehead had produced, "I'm not sure you can say Equestria is without enemies. For example, recently you were attacked by Changelings. Invaded by them, actually."

"Yes, but as I'm sure you know, they were defeated and we haven't heard from them since."

"Colonel Davis." This time it was Twilight who spoke. "I understand what you're trying to propose, but it simply isn't necessary. You've been studying Equestria's history, so I'm sure you're aware of the Elements of Harmony."

"Yes, I am," Davis replied.

"So far, the elements have provided us with all the protection we need."

"I don't doubt their effectiveness, but you can only deploy the elements to one location at a time. A base full of soldiers would let you respond to emergencies in multiple locations at once. And should you need your Elements of Harmony, we can get them where you need them faster, and have our soldiers support them once they arrive."

"You have fifty men in Equestria already, and a base built on your side of the rift," Twilight pointed out. And this was the crux of the issue. The United States wanted to send more soldiers and material into Equestria, but the Equestrians didn't see how it was necessary.

"I think, Colonel, Princess Twilight is saying that we don't see any need for you to post more soldiers here," Celestia said.

Davis paused for a moment; this wasn't the first time they had discussed this but it always seemed to end in a stalemate. "Princess, what if we could demonstrate to you how having a base here would benefit you?"

Celestia raised her eyebrows. "I suppose that if you can prove your claim, then we would consider accepting. How do you intend to do so?"

"I don't know yet," Davis admitted. "We can discuss it tomorrow, if you wish. We are running long today, after all."

Celestia shook her head. "We can discuss it, but not tomorrow; it will the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Whenever we return, then," suggested Davis.

"Agreed," Celestia nodded. "Our meeting is adjourned, for today."

Marshall sprung up from his chair and groaned with relief as he stretched himself out. "C'mon, Jason; let's go get something to eat," he said, grabbing his friends forearm and pulling him up from his seat.

"What?!" Forman asked, the violent action jerking him out of his thoughts and back into reality, where he saw Lieutenant Marshall dragging him up and then towards the door. "Alright, alright! Let me have my arm back; damn!"

Twilight suppressed a giggle as she watched the noisy exit. Such behavior was inappropriate in the presence of royalty, but that was what actually made it funny; especially since Twilight never cared much for proper protocols of royalty.

"Certainly, they are an interesting pair," Celestia remarked to Twilight, as if reading her mind.

Twilight shook her head; "I'd almost forgotten about the Summer Sun Celebration; I've been thinking about these negotiations so much."

Celestia smiled as she and her protégé walked out into the hall. "Tomorrow will be a welcome break from all these meetings. I trust your friends will be joining us for the celebration?"

Twilight's smile disappeared. "No; they were planning to be here, but Mayor Mare called them back to Ponyville. There was some urgent need of their assistance."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Still though, it's wonderful to be actually looking forward to the celebration."

"Looking forward to it? What do you mean?" asked Twilight, puzzled. She had assumed Celestia looked forward to the event as much as every other pony in Equestria.

For my subjects, it has always been a celebration of my defeat of Nightmare Moon. But for me... it was just a terrible reminder that I'd had to banish my own sister," Celestia sighed.

"Oh… I guess I've never thought about it that way," Twilight said.

"But now it has become a wonderful reminder of her transformation back into Princess Luna, and our happy reunion." Celestia beamed at her. "I am so pleased that you will be playing a role in the festivities."

Twilight laughed nervously; being so involved with the negotiations, she hadn't had much time to study the events planned for the next day. Earlier she had given Spike an ordered check-list of things he needed to see to for the celebration, she now she was reminded that she needed to get back to her room and look it over.

The pair stopped at an intersection; Twilight gestured with her head towards the left hallway. "I should get going, Princess; is there anything else you need?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, thank you, Twilight; I'll see you tomorrow at the celebration."

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Forman sighed as the waiter-Unicorn set his order down on the table.<p>

"Is there something wrong, sir?" the waiter asked, a bit nervously. Ponies were growing gradually more used to the sight of a Human, but they still weren't entirely comfortable around them.

"Hm? Oh… no, nothing's wrong," Forman said. "It's just," he eyed the large platter of fruits and vegetables, "I'm not really used to this kind of diet." Ponies here seemed to be largely, if not entirely, herbivores, and Lieutenant Forman was craving meat. Since he had arrived in Equestria, he could only get that from military rations; not restaurants and cafés like the one he was in now.

"If there's something else you'd prefer, I'm sure we can accommodate you," the waiter said, trying to be helpful.

"No… thank you," Forman told him. It was probably better to avoid asking for meat here, especially during negotiations.

Sensing he could be of no further help, the waiter nodded to himself and moved on to a different table.

Unlike the waiter, Marshall knew exactly what Forman wanted. "Hoping they'd have a steak?"

Forman muttered an unintelligible reply and looked at the celery that had been placed on one side of his plate; he was not a fan of celery. Sure, it was alright as an additive to stew or soup, but stews and soups usually have meat in them, Forman thought. "Maybe there's a black-market where I can buy some bacon…"

"Some bacon would be nice," Marshall admitted, taking a bite out of an apple.

"Or a hamburger."

Marshall looked at his apple and let out a disappointed sigh. Suddenly, fruit seemed much less appealing.

Forman stared silently at a carrot for a few moments. "Fluttershys got some chickens; think she'd notice if one went missing?"

"Mind if I join you two?" asked a voice from behind him.

Forman's eye's shot open wide as he recognized the speaker as Twilight Sparkle. He desperately hoped she hadn't heard his joke about stealing chickens from one of her friends.

"Sit," Marshall said, gesturing to an open spot at the table.

Twilight sat at the place indicated and looked at Forman. "Gonna' eat your celery?" she asked hopefully.

Forman slid the plate over to her. "All yours."

She nodded gratefully and dug into the platter of fruits and vegetables that had been given to her. She realized, after a minute or so, that perhaps wolfing down large helpings of food might be unbecoming of a princess, and that both Forman and Marshall were staring at her with some evident amusement.

"Heh-heh... "She laughed nervously. "Excuse me; I haven't had a chance to eat today."

Marshall shrugged dismissively. "So, what brings you out here?"

"Boredom, I guess; Spikes asleep, and everypony else went back to Ponyville. I was taking a walk and saw you two through a window."

"You've got a celebration tomorrow, right? I'll bet you're looking forward to that; especially after this past week," Marshall said, changing the subject.

"I'd be looking forward to it more if the rest of the girls were here," Twilight said. "We all met at the Summer Sun Celebration," she explained.

"Oh; that sucks," Marshall replied.

"I for one," Forman began, "am thankful we won't have to sit in that throne room for hours on end."

"Amen," agreed Marshall.

"Speaking of, I hope it doesn't bother you that we're resisting your plans of building a base here," Twilight said.

Forman exchanged glances with Marshall. "Doesn't bother us," he said.

"Besides," Marshall added, "nothing's been finalized yet; we might very well win you over with whatever demonstration Colonel Davis cooks up."

Forman checked his watch. "It's getting late; I think I'll head back and get to sleep."

"Yeah; same here," Marshall said as he looked at his own watch. "We'll see ya' tomorrow, Twilight."

"Goodnight," she called to the two soldiers as they left. She sat in silence for a moment, and then remembered the plate of food that Forman had given her. Sighing appreciatively, she turned her attention back to her dinner.

* * *

><p>"Jason! Jason, wake up!"<p>

"What the…?" muttered Lieutenant Forman, as a booming voice roused him from his sleep. The door to the room he occupied was thrown open and it slammed into the stone wall with an audible _bang._ Lieutenant Marshall entered the room and rushed over to his friend.

"C'mon Jason; you need to get up!"

"Mark…what are you off about?" asked Forman, groggily.

"There's something wrong with the sun!" exclaimed Marshall, gesturing wildly towards the window. "Or maybe there's something wrong with the moon; I can't tell." Marshall paused for a moment, and saw that Forman was still not moving. "C'mon man; we need you up!"

Groaning, Forman slid out of bed and dressed himself. "Really Mark; _I am_ your superior officer. It's pretty inappropriate to come barging in here, bellowing about how I _have_ to wake up," Forman complained, unhappy about being woken up. "Sure we're friends and all, but it's still a breach of proper protocol- what the hell?!" Forman blurted, as he peered out his window.

Both the sun and the moon hung high in the sky. Forman checked his watch several times, trying to discern the proper time of day.

"What's our next move, _sir_?" Marshall asked, heavily emphasizing the last word.

"Quit pouting; we've got problems!"

"Ya' don't say," Marshall muttered under his breath.

"We need to alert Captain Becker and Colonel Davis. Then we have to find one of the princesses, and find out what the devils going on."

Minutes later, Becker and Davis were standing in the hallway with Forman and Marshall.

"So," Davis said, looking out one of the windows, "you've been here longer than I have; anything like this happen before?"

Captain Becker exchanged glances with Marshall and Forman. "No sir, this is the first time I've seen anything like this."

Davis sighed and they began walking swiftly down the hallway. "Maybe this is just a rare astrological event? Sort of like an eclipse or something?"

"I don't know sir; maybe," Becker replied, although he seriously doubted it.

They rounded a corner and ran into Twilight and Spike, who skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Princess Twilight; thank God" said Davis, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Twilight frantically shook her head. "I'm trying to find that out, myself."

"Maybe Celestia or Luna will know what's going on." Forman suggested.

"That's what I was thinking," Twilight replied. "C'mon, we have to find them!"

"Princess Twilight!" A pair of Royal Guards rushed down the hallway towards them. "Your Highness, you must come with us!"

Twilight looked at the U.S. soldiers. "Come with me," she said, then looked at the guards as if daring them to challenge that decision.

They hesitated for a moment. "Very well; we must hurry!"

The guards led them through the castle at an urgent pace and they arrived in the throne room. As they charged through the open door, Forman assumed Celestia or Luna was about to give them some answer. Much to his surprise, the room was empty, save for themselves.

"It's Princess Luna and Princess Celestia," the first guard said.

"They're gone!" his companion announced.

Twilight and Spike gasped as the Humans exchanged worried glances.

"But…I don't understand!" Twilight exclaimed. "Where are they?"

"We don't know," the guard gravely replied. "It seems that they've simply vanished."

"Vanished?!" repeated Spike.

"We await your command, princess," one of the guards said.

"_My_ command?!"

"We're Royal Guards; we take our orders from royalty," he explained. "Princess Celestia and Luna are missing, so we take our orders from you."

Davis glanced at Twilight, and could plainly see the toll of having power thrust upon her was taking.

She took a deep breath, however, and calmly issued her instructions. "I want you to continue the search for Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. We have to find them before ponies start to panic. There must be some clue that can tell us what's happened to them. If you find something, anything, let me know immediately."

"I can get some of our own men on that, if you'd like," Davis offered. "Give me thirty minutes and I could have these skies filled with search aircraft; and we've already got a V-22 right here in Canterlot."

"Thank you colonel, but I don't think you should bring in a large searching force; I don't want ponies to think you're the ones behind all that," Twilight said, gesturing towards the raised sun and moon.

"Your highness!" a guard exclaimed, galloping into the room. He paused to catch his breath and then announced, "News from Ponyville! The Everfree Forest appears to be... well... _invading_!"

Everyone was silent. Twilight and Spike tried to picture what from the forest might be attacking Ponyville, while the Humans tried to comprehend how a forest could attack a city to begin with.

"Invading?! How can a forest invade?!" demanded Davis.

"The Everfree Forest is full of dangerous creatures" Twilight explained. "I imagine it could be Timberwolves, or a hydra. Or maybe it's several species of animals." Twilight looked to the guard for confirmation.

"It's not an animal, highness; it's some sort of strange vine," the guard said.

"A vine?" Twilight was puzzled. "I've never seen any sort of aggressive vines living in the Everfree."

"It's not a vine we've ever seen before, but from what I hear it's springing up everywhere!"

Twilight stood silent for a minute. "I have to get down there," she finally said.

Davis nodded his agreement. "So do we."

"C'mon Spike; I think we're going to need the Elements of Harmony and our friends to put a stop to this," Twilight said. "Let's hurry so we can catch the next train to Ponyville."

Captain Becker cleared his throat. "I could be wrong, but I doubt very much that the train will be running to Ponyville right now. It is under attack, after all."

Twilight realized he was probably right. But she _needed_ the train to get off the mountain to get to Ponyville as soon as possible. Spike, however, had a different idea.

"The train isn't the only way to get to Ponyville, Twilight; you could fly us there," he suggested.

"I don't know, Spike," she said, hesitantly. "We need to get there as quick as we can, and I'm still not a very fast flyer; especially if I'm going to be carrying you with me."

"I think he might be right." It was Forman, this time, who spoke up. "You could fly with us, of course, but our V-22 is sitting on the other side of the city, and it sounds like you need to get to Ponyville ASAP."

"You can do it, Twilight," Marshall said encouragingly. "We'll be coming in right behind you; as soon as we can get our bird in the air."

Twilight looked from them to Spike, and nodded. "Let's go, Spike,"

She took a deep breath and ran off with her assistant, presumably towards an open window or ledge somewhere.

"C'mon, we need to get going ourselves," Colonel Davis said. The four Humans set off at a jog towards the V-22.

* * *

><p>Corporal Garnet was feeling several things. He felt tired, he was aching, and he felt out of breath. But above all, he was feeling fear.<p>

When the vines from the Everfree began their attack on Ponyville, the soldiers of the First Alternate Reality Group had mobilized to defend the town. This is where Garnet and the other ten men of his unit found themselves now; trying to cover a neighborhood of ponies escaping to the towns center where the vines had yet to reach.

The weapons carried by the U.S. soldiers were quickly becoming less effective. While it only took one or two hits to disable most vines, their sheer number was beginning to overwhelm the small group of defending Humans. At first the vines had been shredded under a hailstorm of bullets, but now the soldiers found themselves running now on ammunition, and had to ensure ever shot counted.

"Where the hell is that airstrike?!" Sergeant Major Erik bellowed at a radio operator.

"It should be here any moment now, sir!" the operator replied, yelling over the sound of weapon fire.

"Any moment now we're not going to be here anymore!" Erik replied, gesturing towards the vines.

Garnet took aim at a nearby vine and squeezed off a shot, followed by a second, and then a third for good measure. His magazine was now empty, so he released it from the weapon and reached down to grab another, and realized he was now out of ammunition for his rifle.

"Damn!" Garnet slung the now empty weapon over the shoulder and drew his service pistol. "How are you holding out, Jackson?"

Corporal Jackson looked over his shoulder. "I'm on my last mag now."

Just as Garnet was beginning to abandon hope, the sound of jet engines cut through the air. Their air support had arrived, and seconds later a missile streaked towards the plants and detonated in a massive, fiery explosion.

Garnet felt the shockwave from the blast pass through his body, followed immediately by intense heat.

As the dust settled and the smoke cleared, the small band of soldiers could see that the vines had been totally obliterated. A cheer of triumph and relief went up from the men, but it was very short-lived. Their happy shouts died out as they saw more black tendrils rising from the ground, taking the place of the vines the Humans had been battling only moments earlier.

"Fall back!" Sergeant Major Erik ordered. He knew his men were running low on ammunition and he had been counting on the airstrike to eliminate the vines. There was no way they could survive if they remained in this defensive position any longer; their only option was to retreat.

They ran through the neighborhood they had been protecting. It looked like they had brought the inhabitants enough time to escape and the streets were completely abandoned.

Completely abandoned, Garnet noticed, except for a small orange Pegasus with a purple mane and tail.

"Run!" he urged her.

She remained perfectly still however, her eyes locked on the approaching vines.

Garnet scooped her up and threw her over his shoulders as he rushed by, and continued his hasty retreat with the rest of the team.

* * *

><p>"Sir, we're approaching Ponyville! ETA: a little over a minute!" Second Lieutenant Harris reported from the cockpit. He and his copilot, Second Lieutenant Aiken, were the same two pilots who had flown Twilight and Forman to pick up Sunset Shimmer, and then back.<p>

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Davis replied over the headset. He peered out one of the Osprey's round windows; it was difficult to see much of the town below, but one or two small buildings were just becoming visible to him.

On the ground, however, the helicopter was totally visible to anyone who looked up into the sky; a small crowd of Ponies had gathered outside Twilight's library to watch the incoming vehicle, including Twilight herself and her friends.

"Here comes the cavalry," Applejack remarked.

"Their punctuality is commendable," Rarity said. "You yourself only arrived a few minutes ago, darling." This statement was directed at Twilight.

"Well, they said they'd be here as fast as they could," Twilight replied, though the few minutes she had spent waiting for them had felt like hours. The sight of the helicopter provided some relief; it contained people she likened to her brother; people with knowledge of how to handle situations like this one.

Rainbow Dash, however, didn't share in Twilight's relief. If anything, she was growing more concerned as she watched the aircraft approaching.

"Dash? Are you alright?" asked Fluttershy, noticing her friend's obvious concern over something.

"Something's up," Dash replied, narrowing her eyes at the rapidly approaching vehicle. Rainbow Dash was more than just a talented flyer; she possessed an almost uncanny instinct about flight. The American aircraft was almost totally foreign to her, but looking at its angle of attack, its speed, and a variety of other minute details, she produced an explanation for her worries.

"They're out of control…" Her eyes shot open wide and she whipped her head around to face Twilight. "They're gonna crash!" Twilight barely had time to process what she had told her before Rainbow rocketed off towards the Osprey.

Indeed she was correct. On board the aircraft, the triple-redundant electronic control systems were failing to respond from input from either the pilot, or the copilot.

"We're in for a rough landing; hang on back there!" Lieutenant Harris reported over the intercom. He knew though, at these speeds, that their chances of survival were poor. In all likelihood they would perish on impact.

The occupants of the vehicle felt a forceful impact on the belly of the aircraft. Rainbow Dash had reached the Osprey and was using all her power to try and slow it to a controlled descent. Despite her best efforts though, she was fighting a losing battle against the vehicle's ten-thousand horsepower engines.

Rainbow Dash quickly realized she couldn't bring the vehicle safely down by herself. To say she was in a difficult situation would be an understatement; she was very much in mortal danger. If the descent of the aircraft couldn't be stopped, then she'd be crushed underneath the thirty-three thousand pound Osprey as it slammed into the ground. However, despite the obvious danger to her life, the thought of abandoning the vehicle to save herself never occurred to her.

"Help!" Dash bellowed to anyone who might be listening. Her words were drowned out by the sound of the massive propellers, but it was plainly clear to anyone watching her that both she and the Osprey's occupants were in dire need of assistance.

Twilight leapt into action, casting a spell to slow the aircraft. Rarity followed suit, and she was joined by several other unicorns that were present in the crowd. The vehicle slowed exponentially and Dash felt an enormous strain taken off of her body. Now, Pegasi followed Dash's example, soaring out to help control the Osprey. Miraculously, they avoided the spinning turboprops.

As the Unicorns and Pegasi brought the aircraft in to land on their own power, Harris was able to kill the engines. The Pegasi retreated out from under the vehicle and the Unicorns set it down on its belly.

The cargo ramp dropped, and out of it rushed the occupants.

"Is everyone alright?" Forman asked, addressing both the crowd and the men who had been in the helicopter with him.

"Thanks to all of them," Captain Becker said, gesturing towards the ponies in the crowd, "it would appear so."

"You can thank me later," Rainbow Dash panted, before collapsing on her side and letting out a relieved sigh as she relaxed her muscles.

Colonel Davis addressed their saviors. "Thank you; you saved our lives. Although, I would be interested in knowing exactly that happened," he said, glaring at Lieutenant Harris and Lieutenant Aiken.

"I don't know what happened sir; the controls wouldn't respond," Harris explained.

"Actually, I noticed a similar phenomenon earlier today, when I couldn't control my magic," Rarity said. "Perhaps there's some correlation?"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "This all has to do with what's happening with the Everfree."

Colonel Davis looked thoughtful. "If that's true, we need to radio back to base and warn them not to send aircraft through." He signaled for Harris to make the call. "So, Princess Twilight; have you found anything out?"

Twilight's eyes squinted in concentration as she pieced these events together. "Hmm… half-day, half night… out of control plants… your machine nearly crashing," Twilight said to Forman.

"Don't forget Rarity's manic magical mishap!" Pinkie added.

"I think," Twilight began, "I'm starting to get a pretty good idea of who it is we're up against."

Twilight and her friends all seemed to reach a mutual conclusion. The Humans, however, were totally lost.

"Uhm… who?" Forman asked, after exchanging confused glances with Marshall.

"Discord!" Twilight dramatically announced.

"Uhm… who?" echoed Marshall.

"Lord of Chaos; embodiment of disharmony; hence the name _Discord_," Dash said nonchalantly, swishing a hoof back and forth as she spoke.

"Well… I guess that makes sense," Marshall said

"Look, let's get on with it; we're wasting time," Forman said. "Let's just find this Discord guy and make him fix… whatever it is that needs to be fixed!"

"Gladly," Twilight replied. "You might want to stand back," she said to the group of U.S. soldiers.

As he did so, Forman heard some sort of whirring sound fill the air. Seconds later, a… thing sitting in a bathtub appeared where he had been standing.

Forman looked at Captain Becker in the hopes that he might have some idea what sort of creature this was, but the answer seemed to elude him as well.

"That's Discord," Dash whispered, sensing his confusion.

"Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap-ooh!" he sang, before realizing where it was.

"Now, Twilight, you know Princess Celestia said that you were to give me a heads up before you summon me with that little spell she gave you," Discord scolded. "In case you haven't noticed, I was in the middle of a particularly invigorating shower."

"Enough!" barked Twilight, and Discord's smile disappeared. "Release Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and stop the Everfree Forest from invading, _now!_" she ordered.

"Always business with you, Twilight," he sighed. "You never call just to say 'hi'; you haven't even introduced me to your new friends!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards the dumbstruck Americans.

"My 'new friends' nearly died when their helicopter lost control and almost crashed because of your magic!" she shouted, and pointed a hoof at him, accusingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Discord insisted. "Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what you've done with the place," he chuckled while surveying the surrounding chaos, "but unfortunately I had nothing to do with it; I'm reformed."

"Look… we really can't afford to waste any time," Forman said. "If he didn't have anything to do with it…" he trailed off.

"Oh, he's guilty, alright!" Dash growled. "This has his cloven hoofprints all over it!"

"I'll have you know that I have only _one_ cloven hoof!" Discord exclaimed. "Such accusations; and here I thought we were friends."

"Princess," Colonel Davis said to Twilight, "Lieutenant Forman is right; there's no time to lose. Are you positive you're on the right track?"

Twilight's face scrunched up in concentration. This certainly looked like Discord's doing, but at the same time she couldn't be sure he was to blame. And all the while she stood around making accusations, Princess Celestia and Luna were lost and the Everfree was advancing on Ponyville.

"If you're not responsible," Twilight said to Discord, "then help us find out who is!"

"I suppose I _could_," he began, "but after all the hoofpoining and besmirching of my good name, I just don't know if I'm up to it." A pair of knitting needles appeared in his hands and he began working on a scarf.

Twilight stomped her hoof and let out a roar of frustration.

"Why don't you ask your Zebra friend if she knows anything?" Discord asked, pointing towards a Zebra who was trudging out of the woods.

"Zecora!" Twilight exclaimed, rushing over to her.

"So, now there's Zebras here, too," Forman muttered to Marshall.

"From my home, I have had to flee!" she said to Twilight. "The forest has grown too wild, even for me!"

"Hey; that rhymed," Forman stated with mild interest, earning him the stares of all the ponies present. "What?" he asked. "Why are you all looking at me like I'm an idiot?"

Applejack shook her head. "Any idea why all this is happenin'?" she asked.

Zecora shook her head. I'm afraid it is a mystery to me as well," she began, "but I may have something that, if combined with a spell... I do not dare to use it myself, the results would be tragic. It only responds to Alicorn magic."

She walked to within a few feet of Twilight. "Princess Twilight, you can turn the potion from purple to white. After a sip, you may see why the sky is day and night.

"All that rhymed too… does she only talk in rhyme?" Forman asked aloud.

Twilight ignored Forman and focused on the bottle of purple liquid. After a few seconds of concentration she was able to turn it to the desired color of white.

She levitated the bottle so that it was close to her face and examined the contents. After a second or so of inspection, she tilted her head back and took a sip of the potion.

She smacked her lips together. "Doesn't seem to be worki—'' at that moment the potion kicked in. She eyes shot open wide and her body went ridged, before she collapsed on her side.

Forman winced as she landed. After a few seconds she began to lightly mumble incoherent words. Everyone was very quiet, as if making the slightest sound might cause them to miss some very important detail.

In the distance the screams of ponies as they fled from the invading could be heard along with the barking of automatic weapon fire, presumably as the rest of the First Alternate Reality Group tried to beat back the attacking vines with superior firepower. "So…" Marshall began, "how long is this going to take?"

As soon as he said this, Twilight's began violently sobbing.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it!" Marshall quickly apologized, worried that his comment might had provoked this response.

He was, however, mistaken, and closer inspection revealed she was still in her trace-like state.

"She gonna be okay?" Forman asked Zecora.

"The potion will not cause her harm; there is no need for your alarm," she replied.

"That isn't very reassuring," Forman muttered.

Suddenly though, Twilight let out a groan and opened her eyes. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" she asked, noticing the concerned faces staring down at her.

"It's just… you were mumblin' to yourself," Applejack began.

"Ooh! And don't forget the uncontrollable sobbing!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"We were really worried about you," Fluttershy said gently.

"I for one found it delightful!" boomed Discord. "A sort of one-pony show piece if you will!" He chuckled to himself. "You should really consider taking it on the road."

"You're sure you're alright?" Forman asked her, while eyeballing Discord.

"I'm fine; I saw something from a long time ago but it doesn't explain what's happening now."

"Perhaps farther back are the answers you seek," Zecora said to her. "Another sip of the potion will give you a peek."

"You're sure that's a good idea?" Forman asked, cautiously. "I mean… what could the effects be if you take that stuff twice?"

"Lieutenant Forma is right, Twilight; taking it again might be dangerous. Are you sure about this?" Spike asked.

Twilight wasn't sure about any of it, but she needed answers and it seemed like the potion was the only way to get them. "I'll be fine," she said, and gave her friends a reassuring smile before raising the potion back up to her lips and taking another sip.

"Oh, I do hope the breaks into a song this time!" Discord said, enthusiastically.

As the effects of the potion kicked in there wasn't any singing, and much to everyone's relief, no crying either. After a few minutes, Twilight was back in the present, and hopefully with the information they needed.

"What'd you find out?" Captain Becker asked as he helped her up.

"I still don't know what's happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but I know why the Everfree Forest is acting this way," Twilight said. "Something's happened to the Tree of Harmony."

"The… what?" Forman asked Rainbow Dash, hoping she'd be able to fill him in. Dash merely shrugged in confusion, though.

"Never heard of it," she replied.

"It's where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna found the Elements," Twilight explained. "I think it's in danger."

"Well, alright then!" Applejack said. "Let's go save a… tree."

"Do you know where this tree is?" Forman asked.

Twilight nodded nervously and pointed at the Everfree Forest; the very forest that was launching an attack on Ponyville, and presumably Equestria was next. "I think," she said, "it's in there."


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors note: **This fan-fiction will include both alternate episodes, and original conflicts. I'm sure all of you know which type this chapter is. If any of you are interested, feel free to PM me about any ideas original conflict you have, that you'd like to see done in Equestria Occupied. Describe the setting, characters, and the conflict, and I'll do my best to take care of the rest. Anyway, if you notice any misspellings in this chapter please let me know so I can correct them. Thanks for reading.

**Chapter 10**

"In _there_?" Forman pointed his gloved hand towards the overgrown forest.

Twilight nodded. "In my vision I saw Princess Celestia say that the Tree of Harmony controls the growth of the Everfree Forest." Twilight cast a glance at the assaulting vines. "Obviously, something's gone wrong with it."

"Yes… obviously," Forman muttered, dryly.

Twilight ignored him and addressed the rest of the group. "We have to hurry and find the Tree of Harmony. Soon Ponyville will be overrun and the rest of Equestria will be next!"

"Princess, I have a question," Captain Becker said. "Where exactly is the Tree of Harmony?"

"I don't know," Twilight admitted. "We're going to have to look for it."

"That's… not much of a plan," Forman remarked.

Twilight shrugged. "No, but it's all we've got to go on. You guys coming, or not?"

Captain Becker turned and looked at Colonel Davis. "Sir, permission to take Lieutenants Forman and Marshall to assist Princess Twilight Sparkle in her search?"

"Granted, Captain," Davis nodded. "I'll gather the rest of our forces and organize a defense of Ponyville."

"Good idea, sir." He looked now at Twilight. "Lead the way."

* * *

><p>"I don't like it sir. It's too quiet."<p>

Captain Becker looked over at Lieutenant Forman, who had just made this remark. Becker had to agree with him; he'd expect more activity from a forest that was invading a town. Yet, despite the think vines that covered the forest floor and hung from trees, they encountered no resistance.

"Hmm…" Becker made his way over to a vine that was as thick around as his torso.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"There are vines everywhere, but we're not being attacked. Why not?" He drew cautiously closer to the vine, and it trembled slightly. However, his presence elicited no further response from the normally aggressive plant.

"Maybe… it doesn't have enough energy to attack us?" Marshall suggested.

"How do you mean?"

"Well… think about it. I'll bet it takes a lot of energy to keep all those little vines going. So, all the energy is going there," Marshall pointed in the direction of Ponyville, "instead of here," he finished, gesturing around him.

"And these bigger vines are carrying the energy to all the smaller ones," Forman said, catching onto what his friend was saying.

"Exactly," Marshall agreed. "They're like power lines, or big extension cords."

"And where there's a power line, there's a power plant," Becker said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Dash asked, cocking in eyebrow in confusion.

Becker brushed her question aside. "Twilight, the Tree of Harmony is powerful, right?"

Twilight nodded. "That's what Princess Celestia said."

"Well, if what Marshall suggested is correct, then that tree is providing the power these vines need to execute their assault. If we follow them, we might be able to locate the tree."

It was a good idea, Twilight thought. In fact, she was a bit disappointed that she hadn't thought of it sooner. She was a princess, after all.

The vines were gnarled and twisted across the forest floor, but they did seem to be coming from the same direction, more or less. After following the vines for several minutes, they came to a small pond full of water.

"We need to get to the other side," Captain Becker said. "Who wants to go first?"

"It's probably full of leeches," Forman shuttered, peering into the murky depths.

"We can use these to cross," Twilight said, pointing at tall rocks spaced just within jumping distance of each other.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Forman asked.

Twilight shrugged in reply. "Well, if you'd rather wade across with the leeches…" She trailed off as she walked to the edge of the water.

Twilight leapt onto the nearest rock and let out a cry of alarm as it shifted beneath her. She felt herself being lifted up several feet and when she looked down, she realized it hadn't been a rock she had jumped on to; it had been the back of a submerged Cragadile.

It flicked its tail, sending Twilight soaring back to the shore, where she landed with a painful-sounding grunt. Then, with surprising speed and agility for a creature of its size, the Cragadile turned around and began advancing towards the Humans and Ponies.

"A Cragadile! Run for your lives!" Rarity shrieked.

Captain Becker, Lieutenant Marshall, and Lieutenant Forman leapt into action, gathering together and opened fire on the reptilian beast. They didn't accomplish much, however. Their weapons were intended for use against much smaller creatures, and they only succeeded in angering the Cragadile, which in turn brushed all three soldiers aside with a sweep of its head.

With the three Americans temporarily incapacitated, the massive reptile turned its attention towards Twilight Sparkle, who was backed against a tree and had no method of escape.

Except, of course, for her wings!

Twilight desperately beat her wings as the Cragadile closed in on her, but in the heat of the moment, she found herself unable to perform the action correctly. Each time she managed to become airborne, she would fall right back down onto the ground.

The Cragadile was imminently close now. It opened its powerful jaws and moved in for the kill. Suddenly though, only a few feet away from Twilight, its massive toothed-mouth snapped shut and it was unable to move any closer.

Twilight's eyes shot open as she realized that her friends were using a vine as a makeshift rope to restrain the Cragadile. One-by-one, her friends secured more "ropes" to each of the creature's limbs, rendering it immobile.

"Are you three alright?" Twilight asked the three U.S. soldiers, who were only now recovering from the incident.

"I'm fine," Becker painfully grunted. "I've been through worse."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "That," she said, "was close."

"A little _too_ close, if ya' ask me" Applejack replied. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Twilight said. "I just can't seem to get these new wings to do what I want them to do, when I want them to do it." Her tone indicated she was, understandably, frustrated by her failure.

"Ah, you'll figure it out eventually," Dash said with a smile, doing her best to reassure her friend.

"Eventually isn't soon enough," Twilight replied, as the group began to move out again. The three Human soldiers formed a protective ring around the ponies, now at an elevated state of caution.

"You have been having an awful lotta' trouble with those," Applejack remarked. "And well… who knows what else is gonna' come after us."

Applejack took in a deep breath and prepared herself mentally for what she was about to say next. "Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for Twilight to go back to Ponyville and let us look for the Tree of Harmony, without 'er," she blurted out quickly.

"What?!" Twilight demanded. "Why?"

"For starters, ya' just about got eaten by a Cragadile," Applejack replied.

"We all did," Twilight said with some heat. "He wasn't after just me."

"Sure, but the rest of us aren't princesses." Applejack's tone was calm and reasonable.

Twilight's however, was not. "What's _that_ got to do with anything?!"

"Actually Twilight, she's right." Captain Becker chose this point to intervene, in Applejack's favor. "Right now, you're Equestria's leader. You can't put yourself in this kind of danger."

"I can't leave my friends here to face that danger alone, either," Twilight replied. "Besides, I've got the Element of Magic; we need to be together to use the Elements of Harmony."

"Once we find the tree I'll radio for you. We can secure the area, and Davis can send a squad along as an escort. But we don't actually need you to find the tree."

"I'm the only one who knows what it looks like!" she countered.

Dash swooped down to her eye level. "Huge tree, cutie marks on the trunk, probably being attacked by something hideously awful; yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll know it when we see it."

Rarity added her own opinion. "Twilight, it's truly touching to see you care for us so, but they're right, I'm afraid. Equestria simply cannot afford to lose you."

Twilight scanned the group before her, trying to find some source of support for her arguments, but she failed to detect any possible allies. Her friends, Human and Pony alike, both seemed to agree she needed to head back to Ponyville.

"All of you feel this way? Feel like I shouldn't be here?" She could feel tears building up at the thought of having to abandon them here and return to the relative safety of Ponyville, but when faced with such overwhelming opposition, she didn't see that she had much of a choice.

"It is probably for the best," Fluttershy consoled.

Twilight tried to find something she hadn't thought of yet, something that would convince her friends she needed to stay with them, but nothing came to her. Defeated, she hung her head and trudged back to Ponyville.

* * *

><p>"Sergeant, you've seen these things in action; tell me, do you think we can beat them?"<p>

Colonel Davis was standing around a table featuring a map of Ponyville and the surrounding areas. He was joined by what remained of the First Alternate Reality Groups leadership, including Sergeant Major Erik, to whom his question had been directed.

"Sir," Erik said gravely, "these things are damn persistent. Every time you kill one vine, two more take its place. We can hold them off for a short amount of time sir, but we can't beat them."

"I see. How long can we hold them off, would you say?"

"I estimate we have enough ammunition for an hour of fighting. No more than an hour, sir."

"And once that hour is up?"

Erik shrugged. "How fast can you run, sir?"

Davis muttered a curse under his breath. The more he found out about their situation, the worse it looked.

"Sir," another soldier began, "now might be the best time to begin evacuations."

"Perhaps; any ideas on where we would evacuate to?"

"Canterlot, sir; it's in a good defensive position, their guards can back us up if the need arises, and it's the closest city to us."

"I agree. If we need to evacuate, it will be to Canterlot," Davis said.

"Sir, you might consider instructing the civilians to proceed to Canterlot at this time. It'll be much safer for them to go now, instead of during an attack on the city."

"Right. Lieutenant Covey," Davis said to the soldier who had been speaking, "locate Mayor Mare and advise her on the situation. Have her get her citizens ready for evacuation to Canterlot. We'll provide them a small squadron for escort."

"Yes, sir," Covey saluted, and went off to execute his task.

"Sir," Erik said as he watched the lieutenant go, "what about Captain Becker and the others?"

"What about them, sergeant?" Davis asked.

"They went into the forest to try and stop the vines; do you think there's a chance they might succeed?"

The colonel sighed and looked at the drawing of the Everfree Forest on his map. "I don't know, sergeant. We haven't been able to raise them on the radio. It could be equipment malfunction, or it might be magic interference from the forest similar to what brought down our Osprey. Or it could be that they're all KIA," Davis shrugged. "Whatever the case may be, without a clear status report we have to assume the worst."

Erik solemnly nodded his agreement, and then he noticed a familiar unicorn trotting up the path from the forest.

"Well sir, it might not be by radio, but I think we can get a status report," he said, pointing towards Twilight Sparkle.

* * *

><p>Twilight had passed through the Everfree Forest without incident. Spike had followed her silently, keeping watch over his friend. She was approaching Ponyville now, and she heard her name being called.<p>

"Princess Twilight!"

She looked towards the source of the noise and saw Colonel Davis bounding over to her.

"Colonel?"

"Princess Twilight," he repeated, and paused for a moment to catch his breath. "What's happened? Did you succeed in your mission? Where are Captain Becker and the others?"

Twilight shook her head sadly. "They sent me back; said I was too valuable to be taking risks."

Colonel Davis nodded. That made sense to him, with Twilight being a princess. "Well… just sit tight. Captain Becker will do everything he can to stop these damn vines."

Twilight nodded silently back at the colonel. She didn't doubt that Captain Becker or any of her others friends would do their best to find the Tree of Harmony, but she still wished she was there to play a more active role.

Twilight's head shot up rapidly. "Maybe I could help you, here?" She might not be able to search for the Tree of Harmony, but that didn't mean she was completely useless. Maybe she could help in Ponyville, instead.

Almost apologetically though, Colonel Davis shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Not unless you know some form of combat magic."

Twilight's spirits sunk again; combat wasn't one of her strong points. "Maybe something else, like planning? I'm great at planning," she said hopefully.

Colonel Davis let out a sigh and gave her a look of genuine sympathy. "Princess, I appreciate how difficult it must be for you to stand by and do nothing, but let's face it; this is a battlefield, and you have no military experience."

He was right, Twilight knew, but she loathed the feeling of being so useless. The Ponies in Equestria were her citizens, and she felt responsible for them. The thought of being unable to help them when they so desperately needed it was causing her to question whether she was qualified to even be a princess, in the first place.

Davis sensed her need for something to do and thought up a task. "Actually, we are planning to evacuate Ponyville. Maybe you could get down to the town hall and oversee it?"

Her mood shot up instantly; finally, something useful to do!

"They could probably use some motivational words down there," Colonel Davis added, "and maybe you can put those organization skills of yours to work."

"Yes; of course. I'll get over there right away," Twilight responded enthusiastically, and galloped off towards the Town Hall, followed closely by Spike.

* * *

><p>"Are we there yet?" Dash droned, as they trudged through the Everfree Forest.<p>

"No Dash. We are not there yet," Lieutenant Forman replied, rolling his eyes. This hadn't been the first time he'd answered this question.

Dash let out an audible groan of irritation. "How much further?"

"I'm sure we're getting close," Forman replied through gritted teeth. He was typically fond of the Pegasus, and she had saved his life earlier that day, but she desperately needed to learn some patience.

"You've been saying that same thing for the past half hour," Dash complained.

"You've been asking that same thing for the past half hour!" Forman snapped back.

"Pipe down; both of yeh!" scolded Applejack. "You're acting like foals on a road trip!"

Really, Applejack thought, they should know better. She let out a sigh and picked up her pace, drawing parallel with Captain Becker.

"So, Captain," she began, "are we there yet?"

"I think we're getting close," Becker replied. "These vines seem to be getting thicker, so I imagine that indicates were getting closer to their source. Then again, I could be totally wrong about how these things grow," he shrugged.

"You know, we're almost at Celestia and Luna's old castle," Rainbow Dash cut in. "Maybe what Twilight saw when she took that crazy potion wasn't real," she said. "Maybe there is no Tree of Harmony; we could be walking right into a trap!" she gasped. "Maybe—!"

"Maybe it's right down there," Applejack interrupted and pointed a hoof towards a cave located in ravine.

"Hmm…" Captain Becker mumbled as he surveyed the cave with his binoculars.

"See anything?" Lieutenant Forman asked.

Becker shook his head. "Maybe; we'll have to get down there to tell for sure."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Rarity asked, eyeing the steep walls of the ravine. Trying to scale those rocks was akin to suicide.

"Take the stairs, silly!" Pinkie called out from the base of a staircase leading down into the ravine.

"Pinkie," Becker chuckled, "what would we do without you. He stuffed his binoculars back into their pouch and signaled to the group. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Twilight went over her check list for a fifth time. She didn't believe that she had missed something; rather she needed something to do; something to occupy her time while she waited for Captain Becker to find the Tree of Harmony. If she broke from her routine for even a moment, she knew that the feeling of total uselessness would return.<p>

Exactly as it was doing right now, Twilight thought, with a sigh. She set down her checklist and shook her head. Twilight knew that she was only using this task to distract herself. Oh sure, the preparations for the evacuation had gone smoothly with her guidance, but she belonged with her friends.

Her friends, she thought, who were risking life and limb to put the Everfree Forest back to normal, while she sat safe and secure behind the defensive line set up by U.S. troops.

"Why so glum, Twilight? Weren't you able to find your tree?"

Twilight raised her head up and saw that Discord made his way over to her.

"We ran into trouble," she muttered, "and my friends decided it would be best for me to return to Ponyville; Equestria will need me if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna don't return."

"You returned to the safety of Ponyville while your friends remained in harm's way?" Discord asked, with mock awe. "Twilight, I never thought you'd be the kind of Pony who thought she was more important than everypony else."

"I don't think I'm more important than _anypony_!" she barked back at him.

"Oh, well, how silly of me to assume that," he retorted. "After all, when your friends ran into danger, you only chose to gallop back to Ponyville to keep yourself safe, at the expense of others I might add," he said, as a Human soldier passed them by, carrying a wounded comrade over his shoulder.

Twilight felt her knees go weak at the sight of the unconscious man's limp form dangling from his friends back. Then she felt them become weaker when she thought the same thing might very well happen to one of her friends, while she was safe in Ponyville.

"I never should have agreed to come back here!" She stomped a hoof as her fear was replaced by a fiery spirit of determination. She _would not_ sit idly by as other Ponies, and Humans for that matter, took risks for her; especially not her friends.

Twilight took off at a gallop towards the Everfree Forest as while Discord waved a farewell at her, wearing a self-satisfied grin all the while.

"Come on Twilight," Spike panted as he ran alongside her, "Discord may be reformed, but he's not that reformed! He's just trying to get under your skin!"

"Well, it's working!" she replied, and quickened her pace into the forest. As she sprinted towards her destination, she failed to take notice of distance yelling and gunshots as the vines from the Everfree Forest began to make their final assault on Ponyville.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so, guess this is it, huh?"<p>

Lieutenant Marshall looked on with the rest of his group as they stood before a massive crystalline tree, which was covered in distinctive black vines.

"The Tree of Harmony," Forman said to no one in particular.

"Alright everyone… and uh, everypony," Captain Marshall said as the returned to the Ponies and Humans waiting in the cave. "I'm unable to raise Ponyville on the radio, meaning Twilight isn't going to be coming; looks like we're going to have to figure out what to do on our own."

"We need to hurry," Fluttershy said, with concern. "Look at the tree; I think it's dying!"

"So let's save it!" Applejack said, and leapt into action, grabbing one of the smaller vines with her teeth and trying to pull it up. It didn't budge, and when she lost her grip on the vine, she landed hard on the ground.

"Nice try," Dash called out sarcastically, and rocketed towards the vines covering the tree. Her attempt was foiled as well, when a tendril shot out and knocked her out of the air.

"Valiant efforts on both your parts, but the tree remains in jeopardy," Rarity sighed.

"And I suppose you've got a better idea?" asked Applejack, cocking an eyebrow at her friend.

Rarity opened her mouth to reply, and then shut it; she actually didn't have any better ideas.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I'm sure we can come up with something if we just put our heads together," Marshall said, trying to be the voice of reason. "I mean, sure our situation isn't ideal, I'm sure we have time to think of a plan. After all, we don't have anything that suggests there's any imminent danger."

As soon as he said this, a low humming noise filled the air and the vines leeching onto the tree began to grow slightly in size.

Marshall nodded. "Right," he said, calmly. "Forget what I said; there is very much an indication of imminent danger. Now, do any of you have any idea what the hell these vines are doing?"

"If these vines do what we think they do," Forman said, "I'd guess that they're taking more power from the tree."

"Meaning there's a good chance that another assault on Ponyville is under way," Becker theorized. "We need a plan, now."

"I know who would know what to do," Fluttershy said, sadly, "but we sent her home.

"Actually sir, I've got one," Forman said, "but I don't know how popular it'll be."

Captain Becker indicated for Forman to proceed.

"Well, seems to me that if these vines need the tree for power, if we deprive them of that power, then they'll starve out." He waited for the mummer of general agreement to die down before continuing.

"The problem is we'll need to destroy the very roots of the vines to kill them. And those roots are embedded in their power source; the Tree of Harmony." This time there was no mummer of agreement; his small crowd waited to see what his next words would be.

"So," he said, hesitantly, "if we were to rig the tree with C4 charges, we'd take out both the roots, along with their power source; an attack on their logistics route, if you will."

"And these C4 charges; they'll do what, exactly?" Applejack asked, skeptically.

"They'll ahh… blow the tree up."

"_Blow the tree up_?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Are you _crazy_?!"

"Listen, I know how it sounds, but the vines are feeding off of the tree. If we destroy the tree, then they'll starve."

"So, just to clarify," Applejack began, "you want to blow up the Tree of Harmony."

"Yes."

Applejack glanced sideways at Captain Becker, who nodded slowly. "Lieutenant Forman has a valid idea," he said. "Perhaps a bit extreme, but we don't seem to have any other options. I support his idea."

"Well, Lieutenant Forman, if you'll forgive me," Rarity said, apologetically, "I for one find it simplistic and destructive. There simply has to be a better way."

"Such as…?" Captain Becker asked.

"We could… destroy the vines connected to the tree, instead," Rarity suggested.

"If we do that, my guess is that the vines will just grow back from what's still connected to the tree," Forman replied. "We have to kill the roots, which seem pretty much embedded in the tree."

"We couldn't okay ya' to destroy that tree, even if we wanted to," Applejack said. "That'd have to be Twilight, or Celestia, or somepony like that."

"Yes," Rarity agreed. "Twilight is the princess; you cannot destroy that tree without her approval."

"Well, Twilight isn't here," Marshall pointed out.

"Meaning, of course, that you cannot destroy the tree," said Rarity, with a nod.

The cave was filled with silence as the group tried to figure out what to do. The problem was, what Forman said made sense. The Equestrians knew this, but they couldn't bear the idea of destroying the Tree of Harmony. Finally, Captain Becker broke the silence.

"We're out of time," he said, shaking his head. "Here's what I'll do; unless all of you," he indicated the Equestrians, "order me not to, I'm going ahead with Lieutenant Forman's plan."

The five Ponies watched as he marched past them, but none of them said a word. They were silent as the three Humans placed explosive charges around the tree, they were silent as they retreated a safe distance away from the cave, and they were silent as Captain Becker brought out the detonator for the explosives.

"Fire in the hole!" he called, and flipped the plastic safety cap off of the detonation switch.

"_Oof! Ow! Ug_!"

Captain Becker paused with his finger about the flip the switch, as he heard someone's apparent cries of pain. He looked over at Forman and Marshall, who shrugged, and then to Equestrians, who were apparently as confused as he was.

Then he saw it; a purple dragon sprinting towards them from the base of the stairs. Twilight's assistant, wasn't he? Spike?

"Twilight! Trouble! Help!" he called, stopping in front of them.

The Ponies and Humans crowded around the out-of-breath dragon.

"Where is she?"

"What's happening?"

"How far is it?"

Spike brushed all their questions aside. "C'mon, follow me! Hurry!"

* * *

><p>Most of Twilight's trip through the Everfree Forest had been without incident. It had seemed that Lieutenant Marshall had been right when he assumed they weren't likely to encounter any hostile vines inside the forest. That was, until now.<p>

Now, Twilight was barely conscious and laying on the ground. She had been attacked by some new kind of vine, which had released some sort of gas which was slowly rendering her unconscious. It seemed that her friends had been right, after all, Twilight thought, glumly. The Everfree Forest was no place for a princess.

Three loud, sharp, _bangs_ echoed through the forest and hammered against Twilight's ears; one of the plants that had been attacking her let out a pitiful hiss, and fell to the ground. The remaining plants faced the source of the noise.

"Listen here, you rabid rhododendrons! You mess with one of us; you mess with _all_ of us!" drawled a familiar voice.

Twilight looked up and saw Applejack standing nearby with Lieutenant Marshall at her side, holding his rifle to his shoulder.

The plants let out angry hisses and swiftly advanced towards the pair. That was the precise moment when the rest of her friends began their assault, charging in from concealed positions around the plants.

With the combined efforts of both the Humans and the Ponies, it didn't take them long to defeat the offending vines. Once reasonably certain the area was secure, Captain Becker made his way over to Twilight.

"Guess I should've stayed in Ponyville, huh?" she coughed.

"Yes, you should have. But, we're all glad you're here." He helped Twilight onto her hooves.

"Yeah; Equestria may need its princess…" Rainbow Dash began.

"But we need our friend," Fluttershy finished.

* * *

><p>"You were going to… blow it up?" Twilight asked, with some disbelief. They were back in the cave with the Tree of Harmony now, and just having the situation explained to her, Twilight was very glad she had come along when she did; even if she had been attacked by vines.<p>

"Lieutenant Forman had the idea to starve the vines of power by destroying their roots, along with the tree, but I fully supported him, and I was the one about to hit the detonator switch when Spike showed up. If anyone's to blame, it's me, not him," Becker replied, sternly.

Twilight shook her head. "I don't think we'll need to someone to blame," she said. Like her friends, she saw the logic in Forman's plan. She too wouldn't be happy about the destruction of the tree, but she supposed if it meant saving Equestria, it would have been worth it.

"But now that yer here Twilight, all the Elements of Harmony are together and we can stop these vines from attackin' Ponyville," Applejack summarized. "Without destroying the Tree of Harmony," she added.

"Hmm…" Twilight flew up and tried to look the tree over from the air; perhaps she'd see some detail that could be important later. She saw her cutie mark engraved into the trunk and flew in for a closer look.

As she drew closer to the tree, tendrils shot out and ensnared her front hooves.

"Gah!" she yelped, and severed them with a blast from her horn.

"Careful up there!" a voice called from the ground. Looking down, Twilight saw that the three U.S. soldiers had been prompted raise their weapons and were covering her as best they could.

Twilight nodded and returned her attention to the tree.

During her vision of the past, Princess Celestia had said something important, Twilight thought. What was it, now? _Even without these elements, the Tree of Harmony will possess a powerful magic. As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here_. Looking the tree over, she saw where each of the Elements would fit into the branches.

The elements; of course!

"I know how we can save the tree," Twilight said, definitively, and she landed back on the ground. "We have to give it the Elements of Harmony."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hey! How are we supposed to protect Equestria?!" Rainbow Dash protested.

"How are we meant to rein Discord in if we can't use the Elements to turn him back to stone?" asked Rarity.

"Twilight, the Elements of Harmony… they're what keep us connected no matter what," Applejack said.

"The Elements of Harmony might be what brought us together, Applejack. But it isn't the Elements that will keep us connected. It's our friendship. And it's more important and more powerful than any magic." Twilight met the eye of the other element bearers as the spoke.

"My new role in Equestria may mean I have to take on new responsibilities, and our friendships may be tested, but it will never, _ever_ be broken," Twilight said, beaming brightly at each one of her friends.

"Besides, it beats blow the tree up, right?" Twilight asked, offering a friendly smile to Forman, who shrugged in return.

"I don't mean to be an ass, but…" Captain Becker tapped his fingers against his watch, and Twilight nodded, understanding.

"Right," she said, flying up into the air again. "Now c'mon, Everypony; there's no time to loose! Ready?"

"Ready!" her friends replied, in unison.

Twilight lifted the Elements off of the necklaces her Equestrian friends wore, and carried them into the air with her magic. She removed the jeweled element from her own crown, and the elements began to spin around her, leaving behind a rainbow-colored trail.

"Lookie there," Marshall said. "A rainbow."

"They are pretty awesome," Rainbow Dash agreed.

Suddenly, several tendrils shot forward towards Twilight, and wrapped around her torso.

"Watch out!" Forman tried to warn her, but he was too late. By the time he had called to her, Twilight's limbs were completely immobilized.

The three Americans opened fire on the attacking vines. Unfortunately though, their vines were close enough to their power source that they were healed instantly. They ceased fire when they realized their shots were having no effect.

Despite the vines wrapping over more of her body, Twilight managed to keep her wits about her. She knew that the Elements of Harmony needed to go into their appropriate places on the tree, and focused all her effort on making that happen.

Twilight's own element reached the tree right as the vines wrapped their tendrils around her face, completely obscuring her from the view of her friends below. For a moment, nothing happened. And then, the Elements began to glow, restoring the trees power.

Now fully healed, the tree took its revenge on the parasitic vines that had leeched so much of its power away. All the vines connected to the tree were burned away, freeing Twilight, leaving behind no trace of their existence.

* * *

><p>"Look out!"<p>

Corporal Garnet heard the shouted warning only a second too late; a vine slammed into him from behind, and the soldier landed hard on the ground.

He had felt his rifle leave his grip when the vine attacked him, but his pistol was still secure in his holster, he knew. Garnet rolled over onto his back and drew the handgun, firing a shot into the tendril. Only one shot, because his slide locked back after he had fired. The corporal realized, with horror, that his magazine must have had only one round in it, and that one round had failed to stop the attacking vine.

The vine reared back to strike down on the soldier, and Garnet knew it was over. He wouldn't be able to reach a new magazine in time, so he simply dropped the gun and closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow.

And waited.

Still waiting.

Shouldn't he be dead by now? Garnet risked cracking open one eye, and taking a look.

There was no vine, but Corporal Jackson was standing in front of him, giving him a worried look.

"Whatcha' doing there, man?"

"The vines… they're…"

"Gone; burned up." Jackson shrugged, and helped Garnet onto his feet.

"So…"

"They did it," said Colonel Davis, who appeared to have materialized out of nowhere. "Becker, Forman, Marshall, and all the Ponies; they did it!"

"So, what then? Three cheers for Becker, Forman, Marshall, and all the Ponies?" Garnet suggested.

Some of the men around him laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of how it sounded. Then, being men very glad to be alive, that was exactly what they cheered.

* * *

><p>All the vines had been cleared away, Twilight noticed, except for two, both which appeared to be wrapped around something. She wasn't curious about them for long, though; in the same fashion as the others, these vines were burned away, revealing the forms of Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Both of whom appeared to be totally unharmed.<p>

A smile broke out over Twilight's face and she shot forward to embrace the two sisters.

"We know how difficult it must have been for you to give up the elements," Celestia said. "It took great courage to relinquish them."

She took notice of the U.S. soldiers standing amongst the Equestrians. Disengaging herself from Twilight, she walked over to them and addressed the three Americans.

"Your colonel requested that a demonstration of your capabilities be presented," Princess Celestia looked them over. Their uniforms were dirtied and showed signs of damage in several places. The necks and faces of the soldiers were covered in minor cuts and scratches. It was obvious to her that they had faced hardships right alongside her own citizens.

"I do not think," Celestia continued, "that there could have been a better demonstration of determination, courage, and loyalty to ones friends," she said warmly, and inclined her head slightly. "You have my gratitude."

"It was nothing," Captain Becker shrugged. It had been Twilight and her friends who had saved the day, after all.

"Cancel tomorrows treaty talks and we'll call it even," Marshall said to her.

"I doubt there will be much further debate on the treaty," Celestia said with a chuckle.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Look at this!" Twilight was calling them over to a spot near the base of the tree. Upon their arrival, it was discovered that Twilight had found a small crystal box, with a keyhole on each of its six sides.

"What's inside it?" asked Twilight. "How am I supposed to open it?"

"Six locks, six keys," Luna said, and Celestia nodded.

"I do not know where the keys are. But I do know this is a mystery you will not be solving alone." Celestia looked meaningfully at Twilight's Equestrian friends.

* * *

><p>"Bravo ladies, bravo!" Discord cheered, as they exited the Everfree Forest. A small crowd had gathered at the edge of the forest, and among the onlookers was Colonel Davis, joined by several other soldiers.<p>

Captain Becker, Lieutenant Forman, and Lieutenant Marshall made their way over to him while Discord left with Twilight and her friends.

"Well done; all of you," Davis congratulated. "You managed to pull us out a quite a bit of trouble at the end, there."

"Thank you, sir; it was mostly Princess Twilight and her friends, though; we were just along for the ride." Captain Becker paused. "Sir, how bad did things get here?"

"Cuts and bruises mostly, maybe a broken bone or two. No fatalities, but there were some close calls. We'll be getting some reinforcements in soon to replace anyone who's injured."

Captain Becker nodded. This was good.

"So, Captain," Davis said, preparing to change the subject, "any chance this'll speed along the treaty?"

"Princess Celestia made it sound that way, sir; she said this was a good demonstration of our capabilities, as any."

"Another thing, sir," Lieutenant Forman began. "Twilight and her friends had to give up the Elements to Harmony to stop these vines."

"Meaning that now they just lost a valuable defensive asset, and will have to find some way to compensate for it," assessed Davis.

"That would be my guess, sir," Becker nodded, "and that might be where we come in."

"We won't know for sure until we get it all down on paper, of course, but I think our chances of getting that base just went up."

"Captain?" Twilight Sparkle had detached herself from the group of Ponies, and had made her way over the Humans. "Pinkie is throwing a party back in Canterlot to celebrate both saving the tree, and the Summer Sun Celebration. I thought I should invite you." She looked at Colonel Davis. "You're all welcome to come, of course."

Davis shrugged. "Go ahead," he said to the three soldiers. "You guys earned it."

"So," Marshall asked as they walk off with Twilight, "will there be cake?"

* * *

><p>A lone Earth Pony walked slowly through Appleloosa's massive orchard of apple trees. It was late at night, and the trees overhead blocked out most of the moonlight, amplifying the darkness. The orchard was still and quiet, almost unnaturally so, putting the Pony on edge.<p>

These sorts of late-night patrols had become commonplace in Appleloosa. The trees here were their primary source of food, and they couldn't afford to take the chance that they might be damaged. Therefore, each night, several Ponies from the town were expected to work in shifts, guarding the trees.

He heard a noise, and swung his head towards the source. "Anypony there?" he asked, praying it was the Pony scheduled to relieve him, even though he still had another hour on his shift.

There was no response, and he gulped nervously. _It must have been the wind_, he thought, even though the leaves overhead were perfectly still. _After all, a large animal, the kind that would pose a serious threat, would have made a much louder sound_, the Pony further rationalized.

Reassured, he continued patrolling deeper into the orchard. That was, until he heard another minute sound, directly in front of him.

_It's just the wind again_, he told himself, but he knew that it couldn't be the wind. Wind would rustle the leaves, but it wouldn't break sticks lying on the ground.

It was too dark to make out shapes, but he was sure he thought he saw something moving in front of him, followed by the sound of another twig cracking. Then another.

The Pony retreated backward until he bumped into a tree. He looked frantically left to right, regarding every shape, every shadow, as a hostile entity. He calmed down slowly, and realized that the orchard was totally silent once more.

_Maybe whatever it was had been scared off_, he thought hopefully, until he heard a deep, booming voice speak right into his ear. Not loud, but powerful; commanding. Three words which caused him to frantically bolt off into the night.

"Run, little pony."


	11. Chapter 11

**Authors note: **Thanks for reading. Report any misspellings, please.

**Chapter 11**

"Whatcha' think, Mark?"

"Future site of the first U.S. military base to exist on a different plane of reality." Lieutenant Marshall shrugged. "I guess they could've chosen a worse place to put it."

Lieutenant Forman and Lieutenant Becker were standing on a hill overlooking a large, mostly flat field. This location had been selected for a large U.S. base after the defense treaty with Equestria had been signed several weeks ago. In that time, more U.S. soldiers had arrived in Equestria, a roadway now existed in the Everfree to grant vehicles the ability to travel from the rift and into Ponyville, and the foreign soldiers were becoming an increasingly common sight to the inhabitants of Ponyville and Canterlot.

This base was intended serve as the main operations center for all future U.S. activities in Equestria. The base at the rift site would remain operational, of course, but mostly just as a go-between point. Having a base of operations inside of Equestria would increase the scale of operations that U.S. forces in Equestria could undertake.

Currently, the base was planned to house a sizeable garrison of Alternate Reality Group soldiers, armored vehicles, long-range missiles, and a variety of aircraft. Right now though, the only beings populating this area were a small unit of engineers who has just finished surveying the area, Lieutenants Forman and Marshall. And Twilight Sparkle, who Forman noticed trotting towards them.

"Here to take a sneak peek at our future base?" asked Forman, once she reached them.

"I'm afraid not," Twilight said, shaking her head. "I just received a letter from Princess Celestia; she's urgently requesting our presence in Canterlot." Twilight paused a moment and looked around. "Is Captain Becker here? Corporal Garnet said he might be with you."

Forman shook his head. "Captain Becker is in Ponyville; we wanted to come out here and take a look and where we'll be living pretty soon."

"Guess we should be getting back now, though," Marshall suggested, checking his watch, and casting a glance at the sun. It would be getting dark soon.

"Right," Forman agreed. The three of them began to make their way back to Ponyville.

"So, Twilight; what'd this letter say?" asked Forman.

"Only that she urgently needed me to collect my friends and bring them to Canterlot as soon as possible."

"That's all? It's not very descriptive."

"She'll tell us more once we get to Canterlot," Twilight said.

"Guess we'll find out in Canterlot, then," Forman replied. "When are we leaving?"

"This is an urgent meeting with Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed, as if the answer to his question should be painstakingly obvious. "We're leaving as soon as we've gathered everypony together."

Marshall exchanged glances with Forman. "You know… it will be getting dark soon," he pointed out.

"I know; we need to hurry!"

* * *

><p>"Princess Twilight." Celestia bowed to her as she entered the throne room. "I'm glad you and your friends could make it on such short notice."<p>

"It was no trouble at all, Princess Celestia." Twilight bowed in return.

Lieutenant Forman huffed irritably; _no trouble at all_ did not describe situation. An absolute mad dash was, perhaps, a more accurate summary of events. The princess and the two lieutenants had scrambled all over Ponyville to assemble Twilight's friends and catch the last train to Canterlot. They could have all flown, of course, but the Equestrians had expressed reluctance to board any aircraft after witnessing the near-fatal accident with the V-22.

"I trust you're all curious about the circumstances of your summons," Celestia said, shifting her gave to each of them individually. "It is of the gravest importance."

Celestia trotted over to a table covered in what looked like maps and copies of legal documents. The Humans and Ponies crowded around, each trying to decipher how these papers were important. They did look familiar, Twilight thought, but it took her a second to place them.

"This is… a map of Appleloosa," Twilight said suddenly, and then turned her attention to one of the other documents. "And this is the agreement between the settler Ponies, and the Buffalo tribe."

Princess Celestia nodded approvingly. "Correct, Twilight."

"What's the deal, then?" Applejack asked. "Seemed like a fair agreement to me; why are we bringin' it up now?"

Celestia shook her head sadly. "It seemed fair to me as well; both parties negotiated a mutually beneficial outcome. Unfortunately, it appears the treaty between the Buffalo, and my little ponies, is no longer satisfactory."

"Excuse me," Captain Becker said, and held up a hand. "Would someone mind filling us Humans in?"

"Of course, Captain," Celestia said, apologetically. "There is a treaty in place between the Ponies of Appleloosa, and the tribe of Buffalo that inhabited the area before the Ponies settled, and established their town. When the Ponies planted their orchard, they inadvertently disrupted the traditional stampeding grounds of the Buffalo. To abbreviate the situation, the Ponies agreed to one: cut a path through the orchard to accommodate the stampede, and two: supply the Buffalo with a share of their food from the orchard."

"Supply the Buffalo with food? Like… as compensation?" Forman asked.

"More or less, Lieutenant," Celestia said. "For a time, the Ponies and Buffalo enjoyed a harmonious co-existence. Recently though, tensions have flared between the town and the tribe."

"Why?" asked Twilight. "What happened?"

"The situation is very unclear to me, Twilight. All I know is that a severe animosity has developed between the Ponies and the Buffalo; much worse than before. This is why, Twilight, I have called you and your friends here. It is imperative that you renegotiate a treaty between the Buffalo and the Ponies. Otherwise, I fear conflict is inevitable."

"Don't worry, Princess!" Dash exclaimed. "You can count on us!"

Celestia's mouth pulled into a slight smile. "I know I can."

Twilight, however, wasn't quite as sure as Dash. "There must be somepony better suited for this task, Princess; one of Equestria's diplomats, perhaps?"

Celestia gave Twilight a warm, encouraging smile. "You underestimate yourself, Twilight. After all, you are largely the reason there are three Humans standing with us, tonight."

Forman nodded agreement. "She's got a point there, Twilight; this should be child's play compared to inter-dimensional negotiation."

"Yeah Twilight; you got this!" Dash delivered a friendly punch to her shoulder.

"Remember Twilight, you have our unconditional support," Rarity said with a nod. The rest of her friends joined in, offering their own votes of confidence in her abilities.

"It will be a challenge, Twilight," Celestia began, "but I know that you're ready for it. Captain Becker, please assist in keeping the peace between the Ponies and Buffalo.

"Yes, ma'am," Becker replied.

"All of you should get to sleep," Princess Celestia said. "You have long journey ahead of you, tomorrow."

With the meeting concluded, Twilight and her friends began to shuffle out of the room. Captain Becker was almost at the door when he heard Celestia call him out. "A moment please, Captain?"

When they were alone in the room, Princess Celestia closed the door and turned to him.

"Captain, I feel I must clarify what I mean by keeping the peace."

"Don't worry; we'll show restraint," Becker said.

"That's not quite what I mean, Captain."

Becker's mouth formed a small frown of confusion. "I don't follow." He assumed that he would receive a lecture about using minimal force, but now that didn't appear to be the case.

Princess Celestia let out a sigh and paced over to the table. "I know it's told that I'm a gentle ruler," she said softly, and Becker nodded. That was the impression he got as well.

"However," she continued, "I've ruled for well over two-thousand years. In that time, I've imprisoned Discord in stone, I've banished my sister to the moon, and I've witnessed dozens of wars fought, most of which are now forgotten; written off as unimportant, and put down to the violent tendencies of generations past." She locked eyes with Captain Becker, and held his gaze. "I fear that we may not be above such violence, despite what my Ponies may wish to believe."

"Princess, are you suggesting we may have to use deadly force?" Captain Becker's question was direct and to the point. So simple, Celestia thought, and yet it could have such terrible repercussions.

"I don't condone violence, Captain. But I recognize that sometimes we are faced with an adversary who is evil enough to leave us with no other choice. After all, why else would I maintain an armed guard?"

"Ma'am, I'm not sure I can see your citizens forcing us into a situation like that," Becker said. These Ponies seemed to hold values like love and friendship in high regard; their most powerful weapon had been called the _Elements of Harmony_, for Pete's sake.

But Princess Celestia knew her Ponies better than he, Becker realized. If she had any reason to be pessimistic, then it was likely valid. "Fear can lead even the most loving creature to commit horrible acts of violence," the monarch replied. "Remember, Captain, how we greeted you on your first day."

He opened his mouth to protest that their response was completely understandable, but then he realized that, justifiable or not, Celestia and Twilight both had been ready to kill him, Forman, and Corporal Garnet; all three of them future friends of the Equestrians.

"I… guess I see your point," he admitted. "Did you tell Twilight any of this?" Becker asked, realizing that Celestia had made a point to wait for the others to leave before having this discussion.

"Twilight does not need to be burdened by this," Celestia said.

Becker drew a breath to protest, but Celestia held up a hoof for silence before he could begin. "I'm certain that Twilight is capable of understanding, Captain, but it would still weigh heavily on her mind. She would be worried about what would happen should she fail to negotiate peace. It would simply be an unnecessary source of stress for her."

She was right again, Becker thought. Then again, that shouldn't really come as a surprise from a ruler with two thousand years of experience.

"Now, understand; I'm not sending you to fight a war," Celestia continued. "Your only focus is to protect the innocent from harm, but do what you must to protect them."

"Don't worry ma'am," Becker replied. "We'll keep your Ponies safe."

With the amount of firepower at his disposal, Captain Becker was more than certain he could protect the Appleloosans; especially now that Celestia had given him clearance to use force when necessary. So, he was a bit surprised when she shook her head and gave him a sad look.

"I didn't say protect my Ponies, Captain." Her voiced matched her grim expression. "I said to protect the innocent."

* * *

><p>Canterlot's train station was certainly a few degrees more impressive than Ponyville's, Lieutenant Forman thought to himself as he surveyed the compound. Last time he was here, the lieutenant hadn't paid it much attention; he had simply got off the train, and proceeded towards the castle. Now that he saw it in its entirety though, he couldn't help but be moderately impressed by Equestrian's engineering capabilities, even if it was behind Humanities.<p>

"You've got everything you need, right?" he asked Twilight.

She nodded. "I've checked off everything on my list." Using a levitation spell, Twilight pulled the parchment from her bag and held it in front of him.

Forman raised his eyebrows for a second. She had made a list. _I really shouldn't be surprised. _"Well, watch after yourselves once you get to Appleloosa."

"Right…" Twilight paused. "I thought that you were coming with us."

"We are," Forman said, "but we have to make some unexpected extra arrangements. We should be there maybe half a day after you."

"Extra arrangements?" asked Twilight. How hard could it be for a few U.S. troops to pack their bags and get onto a train to ride out to Appleloosa?

"We're bringing along some vehicles and extra manpower," he explained. "That's where Captain Becker is; overseeing all that back in Ponyville. He left late last night but told Mark and I that we could stay behind to see you off, and then catch a train back to Ponyville."

Twilight nodded. That explained why Captain Becker was absent, while his two lieutenants were still here. However, that raised the question as to just why the U.S. was making this into a larger operation all of a sudden. "Some vehicles?" Twilight prompted.

"I'd guess they're for relief work. Food, water, medical supplies, you get the picture. And the more vehicles you bring into the equation, the more people you'll need to work them. I won't know for sure until I ride back to Ponyville, though." Forman paused as the sound of a distant horn reached his ears. "And speaking of trains, here comes yours now."

The train pulled up next to the platform, and stopped.

"All aboard!" called out the conductor.

"We'll be there ASAP," Forman said to Twilight. "Uhm… I better go give Mark a hand." The lieutenant excused himself and rushed over to Lieutenant Marshall, where the powerfully built soldier was struggling will Rarity's huge assortment of luggage.

"Looks like we'll be on our own for this one, Twi," Applejack said as she and her friend boarded the train car.

"For a few hours, at least," Twilight replied, levitating her and Applejack's bags into the storage compartment overhead.

"All that we're going to need is a few hours, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, confidently. "We have done this before, ya' know."

"I know, Rainbow." Twilight sighed nervously. "I just get the feeling things are going to be more complicated this time around."

"Like how?" Applejack questioned. Before Twilight could provide an answer though, grunts and gasps of pain filled the air, along with the occasional shrill note of horror.

"Be careful! _Please!_" pleaded a voice that could only belong to Rarity.

Lieutenant Forman appeared in the doorway, backing slowly in and clearly struggling with the weight of the bags stacked onto a pallet that he and Lieutenant Marshall were carrying. "Okay Mark, come to my left a bit- _ouch! _Those were my fingers! Forward some now, and left more. Okay, good. Now together, we need to lift and— _no! Not yet!_"

Forman's bellowed warnings came a second too late. Lieutenant Marshall had lifted up his side of the pallet, tilting it so that Rarity's bags and luggage slid forward onto his unfortunate companion.

"Oh… God." Marshall said, though he didn't sound particularly concerned. More surprised.

Rarity, on the other hand, was a totally different matter. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, with a look of sheer terror on her face. She singled out one of her bags and tore open the top. After peering inside, a look of relief came over her face.

"Ah, thank Celestia; safe." She levitated one of her fashion projects out of the bag and held it up for them to see.

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking," grumbled Lieutenant Forman, standing up from the mess of bags and cases.

Rarity grinned sheepishly and avoided his gaze. "Ah… yes, glad to see that you are unharmed as well, Lieutenant."

Twilight cut in. "I think that next time, smaller, more manageable trips would be appropriate." The luggage was surrounded by a glowing purple aura, and Twilight levitated it onto the overhead storage compartments.

Marshall whistled. "That's some trick."

"Why didn't we just do that to begin with?" Forman asked. The train's loud whistle, however, cut off any reply. "Oh damn! We need to go!"

Forman and Marshall bolted out the door only moments before the train began moving down the tracks, out of Canterlot and towards Appleloosa.

"Alright girls," Twilight said once they were well underway. "I think we should try find out as much about what's going on _this _time, as quickly as we can. Spike and Rainbow Dash," she said to the two.

Spike looked in her direction, and Dash's ears shot up. Satisfied she had their attention, Twilight continued. "You both know members of the Buffalo tribe; I want you two to head out there and get their side of the story."

"You got it, Twi."

"Applejack, you take Rarity and talk to your cousin Braeburn. Fluttershy and I'll see Sherriff Silverstar."

"Ooh! What about me?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight hesitated, remembering how things had gone last time Pinkie tried to help resolve tensions between the Appleloosans and the Buffalo. She didn't want a repeat of their previous trip, but she still needed to give Pinkie something to do.

"Pinkie," Twilight said, forming an idea, "I want you to prepare a get-together for the Appleloosans and Captain Becker's men. Make sure they get to know each-other, okay?"

That, thought Twilight, would not only give Pinkie something to do, but it would also introduce the Appleloosans to the Humans. If there was anypony who could make friends it was Pinkie Pie, so she'd be the best choice to make sure the settler Ponies were, more or less, comfortable with the Humans.

"Yes ma'am!" Pinkie replied, enthusiastically. In her opinion, she was getting the best job out of all of her friends. "Now," she muttered, "I'll need balloons, streamers, cake…"

"Well, that takes care of who's doin' what," Applejack observed. "Now what?"

The friends sat about in silence, each trying to come up with something to occupy their time for the remainder of the long train ride.

"Anypony know any good songs?"

* * *

><p>"Good Lord, sir; who are we going to war with?!"<p>

Captain Becker heard Lieutenant Forman's voice from behind, and turned to face him. The lieutenant was staring at all the equipment, including attack helicopters, UAVs, and armored vehicles, sitting in the Alternate Reality Group's staging area.

"It's all for the peace keeping mission, Lieutenant," Becker explained.

"Isn't some of this a little… excessive, sir?" Forman asked as he watched a Stryker Mobile Gun System thundering towards them. "I mean, they're just a bunch of Buffalo, albeit sentient Buffalo."

"Princess Celestia seems to think otherwise," Becker replied.

"Princess Celestia ordered _this_?" asked Forman, shocked that the Equestrian monarch would do such a thing.

"Not explicitly, no. But she did authorize us to bring along basically whatever we want, so it seems prudent to keep on the side of caution, especially since we have no idea what these Buffalo are capable of," Becker said. "It never does to underestimate a potential enemy, Lieutenant; especially when we know nothing about that enemy."

"You're right sir," Forman admitted. "I just never thought a tribe of Buffalo would warrant this kind of firepower."

Captain Becker paused for a moment, considering his next words. "It's not exclusively to keep the Buffalo under control, Lieutenant."

Forman exchanged glances with Marshall, who was standing next to him. "Sir?"

"Princess Celestia made it very clear that our mission was to protect _all _innocent lives, meaning she thinks we may end up having to keep the Buffalo safe from Pony aggression."

"_Pony aggression_," commented Marshall. "Now there's a phrase you don't hear every day."

"Celestia told you all this, sir?" asked Forman. To him, the princess never seemed much like the type to order such an activity.

"I was a bit surprised myself, Lieutenant," Becker replied. "But it stands to reason that someone, or somepony rather, that's ruled for a couple thousand years would be forced to go to war at some point, and understand its occasional necessity."

Lieutenant Forman nodded. There wasn't much more for him to say; he agreed with what Captain Becker was saying, and he agreed with Princess Celestia, whom he seemed to have misjudged.

"I assume Twilight and her friends are inbound to Appleloosa?" asked Captain Becker, changing the subject.

"Yes sir; they left a few hours ago. By my estimate, they'll arrive very early tomorrow morning; 0100 hours, or thereabouts," Forman reported.

"And by my estimation, we should be arriving in Appleloosa ourselves right about midday. By then I'm hoping Twilight will have explained to the locals that they should be expecting us, and not to be alarmed."

"Yes, sir," acknowledged Forman.

"Until then, perhaps the two of you could make yourselves useful, here. We do have quite a bit to do, after all."

"Yes, sir," Forman and Marshall said, and set off on performing their tasks.

* * *

><p>The train from Canterlot to Appleloosa pulled into the station in the early morning, as Lieutenant Forman had predicted. Save for a small inn, Appleloosa's train station was the only building in the town that still had any lights burning. The train carrying Twilight and her friends slid into the town completely unnoticed by its inhabitants.<p>

"C'mon Everypony," Twilight yawned. "We're here." She stood up from her seat and shook Rainbow Dash awake.

"Ugh…" Dash groaned. "Five more minutes."

"Dash, in five minutes the train'll be gone," Applejack said, standing up on her hind legs to reach the bags stored in the compartments overhead. Working on a farm her whole life had granted Applejack the ability to effortlessly rise early in the morning, but the same could be hardly be said for the rest of the Ponies occupying the train car.

"Why must we arrive at this dreadful hour," whined Rarity.

"We have much of a choice, Rarity," Twilight said as she levitated her friend's baggage off the storage rack and out onto a cart conveniently positioned on the platform outside.

"C'mon!" Twilight prodded Rainbow Dash, who was slumped across her seat. "We can sleep when we reach the inn."

The Pegasus grumbled something undoubtedly less-than-flattering, and slid out into the isle.

With all of their luggage cleared out of the train, the six Ponies and one dragon began trudging up the road, towards the inn. Their movements were unseen by the sleeping Ponies that inhabited the town, but in the shadows that surrounded the settlement several Buffalo lurked in the cover of the darkness, observing the arrival of the train and the departure of the passengers.

The Buffalo had been keeping tabs on the Equestrian railway ever since the disputes with the settlers had begun. It was imperative to monitor its activity, so that the Buffalo tribe would have advanced warning if any Royal Guards arrived to assist the settler Ponies. And while the six Ponies who had just stepped off the train were far from a battalion of soldiers, there were certainly of interest to the Buffalo.

To say that the average Buffalo had any great knowledge of Twilight and her friends would be an exaggeration. They were, however, familiar with the tales of their exploits. And more importantly, their reputation.

One Buffalo looked sideways at his companion, allowing a hint of concern to show on his face.

"Go," the second Buffalo whispered. "Alert The Chief."

With a nod, the first Buffalo disappeared into the night, gone to inform their leader of this development.

The remaining Buffalo turned his attention back to the Ponies, who were now reaching the inn. Inside, he shared his companion's nervousness. According to the stories the Buffalo had heard, these six Ponies were often dispatched by Princess Celestia herself to defeat Equestria's most powerful enemies. Their sudden arrival in the dead of night and during a dispute between the Buffalo and the settlers almost undoubtedly meant trouble. Trouble, the Buffalo thought, that might prompt his leaders to accelerate their plans.


	12. Chapter 12

**Authors note: **Enjoy, and please report any misspelled words.

**Chapter 12**

"Applejack! Glad to see y'all again!" Braeburn's bellowed greeting cut across the apple orchard from where the Earth Pony was working to the entrance, where Applejack and Rarity stood.

"Howdy Braeburn!" Applejack waved a hoof at her cousin, and trotted over to him.

"How's the family back in Ponyville?" Braeburn asked, with a warm smile.

"They're all fine, Braeburn; how are you doin'?"

Braeburn's smile vanished. In its place, a much graver look took form. "I've seen better days, Applejack," he sighed. "The Buffalo are doin' their best to make things hard for us, here."

"This trouble with the Buffalo is precisely the reason for our visit," Rarity said.

A smile glint of Braeburn's happiness seemed to return. "I knew y'all would show up to help sooner or later."

"'Course we would, Braeburn," Applejack said, draping a friendly hoof over his shoulders. "We're family, after all."

"Now," Rarity continued, "if you would be so kind, please elaborate on the details regarding your predicament with the buffalo."

"The Buffalo," Braeburn hissed. "They're nothin' but a buncha' lousy ingrates."

"Ingrates?" asked Rarity.

"Ingrates," Braeburn repeated, accompanied by a nod of his head. "Our farms are all good and well as long as it's supplyin' _them_ with food, but if we want to expand some to feed our growin' town, well..." he trailed off.

"I don't understand," Applejack said. "Why won't they let you expand on yer farms?"

"Well, they did for a time," Braeburn admitted. "But a few months ago all that changed. Crops started gettin' trampled, equipment was destroyed in the night, and trees were dug up and hauled off."

"Trees dug up?" Applejack gulped. "Is Bloomberg…?"

"Just fine, Applejack," Braeburn said with a smile. "We've got 'em planted in the orchard near the town; those trees are safe. But we are havin' to post a watch now to protect the rest of the orchard."

Braeburn was smiling widely again. "But now that y'all are here, we can come up with a solution to the Buffalo problem." Braeburn pursed out his lips in concentration. "Say… aren't there supposed to be six of y'all?"

Applejack nodded. "The rest of us are tryin' to find out more about this trouble with the Buffalo."

"Twilight and Fluttershy are meeting Sheriff Silverstar," Rarity said.

"And Rainbow Dash and Spike are goin' to talk to the Buffalo," Applejack explained.

Braeburn nodded for a second, and then realized something. "Wait now; ain't Spike the little Dragon? Where's your other friend? The pink one?"

"Ah yes, Pinkie Pie," Rarity replied. "She's preparing a greeting for some guests of ours."

"Guests?" Braeburn didn't follow. Surely a town in the middle of a land dispute was no place to bring a guest.

"Bunch'a Human soldiers from someplace called the United States; they're here to help," Applejack explained.

"What the Sam-Hill is a Human?" Braeburn asked.

Before either Rarity or Applejack could conjure up an apt description of a Human, their ears detected the faint, distant but tell-tale sound of helicopter rotors beating against the air.

"You're about to see 'em first-hand, Braeburn," Applejack grinned. "Here they come now."

* * *

><p>"Rainbow Dash, how much farther?"<p>

Spike's groaned question broke the silence that had fallen over the pair as they searched for the Buffalo tribe's camp.

"They've gotta' be around here somewhere, Spike. Don't worry, we'll find them any second now," Dash replied, stopping to scan the horizon for any signs of Buffalo.

"You already said that," Spike grumbled.

Dash let out a sigh and squinted her eyes, trying to detect any indication that they were on the right track. Unfortunately, things didn't look promising. They had been searching all morning and found nothing.

Dash stomped a hoof in frustration. "Gah! How hard can it possibly be to find a couple Buffalo?!"

"You won't," declared a female voice from behind, which prompted a started Rainbow Dash to blast off several meters into the air. When she looked down though, Dash didn't notice any visible threat. Quite the opposite, in fact; she saw her Buffalo friend, Little Strongheart standing there with a wide smile on her face.

"Little Strongheart!" Dash blurted, relived it wasn't something more dangerous.

"You won't find a Buffalo, Rainbow Dash," she said with a chuckle. "They'll find you."

"Heh-heh… well, you've found us," Dash replied.

"So I have," she said. "Come, I'll take you to the rest of the tribe."

The three began walked off at a moderate pace, with Dash and Spike trailing behind Little Strongheart.

"Rainbow Dash, Mister Spike, what brings you back here?" she asked after several minutes of traveling in silence.

"Princess Celestia sent us in to put an end to this land dispute between you and the Ponies," Dash said.

"Just the two of you?" Strongheart asked, raising her eyebrow.

"What? Heck no, the rest of the girls are back in Appleloosa."

"So… there _are _six of you here?" Strongheart asked, slightly nervously.

"That's right," Dash replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, Little Strongheart," Spike began, "what's the sudden interest?"

"Oh… nothing. Just curious," Strongheart replied, unwilling to reveal the true motives behind her questions. She might be friends with Dash, but like the other Buffalo she was wary of the stories they had heard about the six powerful Equestrians.

Spike and Dash exchanged glances, but neither one said anything.

"Well, here we are," Strongheart said as they crested over a hill. Sprawled out in front of the three were hundreds of teepees, camp-fires, and Buffalo milling about the encampment. One of the teepees stuck out to Dash. It was larger and more elegantly decorated; undoubtedly this was Chief Thunderhooves's tent.

"My father's teepee," Strongheart said, as it reading Rainbow's mind. "Come; I'll show you to him."

Dash and Spike followed Little Strongheart through the camp, conscious of the looks they were receiving from other Buffalo. Soon the three arrived at the chief's teepee, and Strongheart pulled back the flap serving as the door so that her two friends could enter.

Once inside, Dash and Spike saw Chief Thunderhooves sitting on dry, bare dirt. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and rhythmic; clearly his attention was focused elsewhere, so the Pegasus and the Dragon simply sat down and waited to be noticed.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Chief Thunderhooves was not engaged in some act of meditation or deep concentration. Instead, he was sound asleep. The dispute with the Ponies left him with little time for luxuries such as rest. The previous night he had been up into the early morning with other Buffalo leaders as they considered what impact the arrival of Princess Twilight and her friends might have on them.

Strongheart entered and cleared her throat. "Father," she said, forcibly enough to rouse the Buffalo chief from his slumber.

"Hm?" he grunted, eyelids shooting open. "Yes? Oh." He registered the presence of Dash and Spike.

"Father, Rainbow Dash and Mister Spike are here to help resolve our conflict with the Appleloosans… again. Maybe it would be helpful to explain to them what's been happening?"

Thunderhooves sighed. "For a while," he recalled, "we prospered under the treaty. With a steady supply of food from Appleloosa, we didn't have to worry about gathering supplies ourselves. Food was abundant, and our population began to grow.

"However, the Ponies of Appleloosa were not content. They grew their population, their town, and their fields. They spread further and further into our lands. We finally decided that it would be intolerable for them to expand any more.

"We told the settlers they must cease their expansion. They wouldn't listen though, so we took matters into our own hands, hoping to stop their growth by eliminating their food. Despite our efforts though, the settlers continue to push more into our land, and now they have stopped supplying us with any food at all."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. They've stopped sending food to you? But… that was part of the deal!" Dash exclaimed.

"Many of our Buffalo are now going hungry," Thunderhooves continued.

"Well, I've heard enough," Dash growled.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Dash," Spike cautioned. "Remember last time."

"The Appleloosans aren't keeping up their end of the deal, Spike!"

"Just… hold off on judgment until we get both sides of the story, okay?"

"Okay," Rainbow begrudgingly agreed.

"I'm sure Twilight is working on a plan right this very minute," Spike continued, trying to reassure his friend, who simply skulked in silence.

"Rainbow Dash…" Strongheart cocked her head to the side, her ears twitching as she tried to detect some distant sound. "Do you hear something?"

Rainbow's ears perked up; she could hear something. Something familiar… helicopters, she realized. The sound steadily grew in intensity and soon some commotion could be heard from outside the teepee.

"What is it?" Stongheart asked, somewhat fearfully.

"They're some friends of ours; c'mon, I'll show you." Dash led the Buffalo outside of the teepee and scanned the skies for the aircraft. It didn't take her long to spot the fleet of American aircraft soaring through the air.

"Look at that!" cried out a nearby Buffalo.

"If you think _that's_ cool, you should see some of _my_ routines!" Dash boasted. When she looked at the Buffalo who had spoken though, it was plain to see that he thought the helicopters were anything but _cool._ The Buffalo in question looked terrified by the loud machinery tearing through the skies only a few miles away from them.

"Strongheart, get a load of _this_ guy," Dash chuckled, but received no response from her friend. "Uh… Strongheart?"

Little Strongheart looked equally afraid of the aircraft, much to Dash's surprise. In fact, looking around, Rainbow Dash saw that all the Buffalo visible to her were having much the same reaction.

"Oh brother…" Dash muttered. Hopefully the Appleloosans didn't panic when those helicopters landed in their town, or this was going to be much more difficult than she had originally assumed.

* * *

><p>Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy stood outside of Appleloosa's town hall. It was a small, box-shaped, two-story building situated in the center of the town. A small clock-tower protruded from the top of its flat roof, and like the rest of the buildings, it was made of wood. All things considered, it wasn't a particularly impressive structure. Especially when compared to Ponyville's town hall, or Canterlot's castle. But it was the center of Appleloosa's government, and where Twilight needed to be.<p>

"Let's go, Fluttershy," Twilight said as she approached the entrance.

"Shouldn't we knock first?" asked Fluttershy. "I mean, it would be very rude to just barge in unannounced."

Twilight let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. She raised her hoof up and slammed it into the wooden frame of the entrance several times, listening to the sound as it reverberated through the building.

"Uh… come in," called a confused voice from inside.

Twilight cast a brief glare at Fluttershy, and entered the building.

"You don't have to knock, ya' know," said a pony behind a reception desk.

Twilight sighed. "We need to speak with Sheriff Silverstar."

The reception pony shrugged. "Right down the hall."

"Thank you." Twilight and Fluttershy trotted down the hallway and came to a door marked _Sheriff Silverstar_. Twilight opened it and found two ponies in the room; Sheriff Silverstar, who was sitting behind his desk, and one other pony, sitting silently in one of the chairs lined against the wall.

The sheriff glanced up from the papers on his desk and recognized the pair as some of the ponies who had helped the settlers and the Buffalo to get along last time. More significantly though, he realized that Twilight now wore a crown and sported a pair of wings in addition to a horn.

"Princess," he greeted, bowing to her.

"Oh… heh-heh… there's no need for any of that." Twilight chuckled self-consciously.

Silverstar rose back up. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"We're here to try and resolve the dispute between you and the Buffalo, sheriff; I need you to tell me everything you can about your problems with them."

"The Buffalo," Silverstar snorted. "There's no a lot to yell ya', ma'am. Our town started growin', so we needed more land for buildings and farmin'. The Buffalo didn't take too kindly to the idea of more Ponies in the area, so they'd come in at night and destroy our crops and equipment."

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged glances. If Silverstar spoke the truth then it would be very difficult indeed to ever get the Ponies and the Buffalo to cooperate. After all, the two had to be willing to work together, but if the Buffalo simply didn't want any more settlers in Appleloosa, Twilight wasn't sure what she could do.

"It's not quite like that…"

Twilight realized that the other Pony, who they had ignored so far, had spoken these words. She turned to him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"The reasons for the conflict between the Buffalo and us aren't quite as simple as Sheriff Silverstar makes it out to be."

"Number Line," groaned Silverstar. "Not this again…"

Number Line, Twilight guessed, must be the Pony's name. "Do you have a theory of your own?"

"Yes…" he said, hesitantly. "But most don't care to hear it."

"Got that right…" Silverstar muttered.

Twilight, however, was more than willing to listen. "Anything you can provide us with would be helpful."

"Well… originally, the Buffalo would obtain most of their food by forging for it. This put a limit on carrying capacity of Buffalo tribes. However, when Appleloosa agreed to give the Buffalo food in exchange for using the land, the carrying capacity of the Buffalo increased dramatically, resulting in a significant boost in their population."

Number Line paused for a moment to see if Twilight was still with him. She nodded, and he continued. "At the same time the population of the Buffalo increased, the population of Appleloosa increased significantly as well. To compensate, Appleloosa needed to expand its farms and construct more buildings. The Buffalo saw us growing, but they noticed the amount of food we sent them didn't proportionally match our growth, and they believed we were cheating them. One thing led to another, and here we are today."

"Number Line," Silverstar sighed, "I'm sure you want to help, but don't waste the princess's time with your crazy theories."

"Actually," Twilight said, "it makes a lot of sense."

"It does?" Number Line and Silverstar said in unison.

Twilight nodded, and Silverstar looked puzzled.

"Well, I'll be…" To the sheriff, it seemed to make the most sense that the Buffalo just didn't want more Ponies around.

"Thank you, Number Line," Twilight said. "I think you've just provided us with exactly the information we needed."

"Oh, well…" he laughed nervously. "It was nothing."

"Now just have to wait for…" Twilight trailed off as the sound of helicopter rotors overpowered her voice. She peered out the window and saw more United States aircraft than she had ever before, a virtual fleet, touching down outside Appleloosa.

* * *

><p>"Captain Becker."<p>

The captain turned around to see Twilight, Fluttershy, and two other Ponies walking towards him.

"Princess, Fluttershy," Becker greeted.

"This," Twilight announced, "is Sherriff Silverstar, and Number Line."

Silverstar eyed Captain Becker nervously. "The princess says that you're friends of hers…"

"That's right," Becker replied. "We're here to help keep the peace between you and the Buffalo."

"Well, you'll certainly have your hands full with that," Silverstar muttered.

"Captain," Twilight began, "Lieutenant Forman mentioned you might be arriving with food and medical supplies."

"It should be arriving later on. We loaded the majority of our supplies onto transport trucks, which are still en route," Captain Becker explained. He neglected to mention, however, that in addition to transport trucks, there were also armored vehicles making their way to Appleloosa.

Twilight nodded slowly. Observing the soldiers, she noticed them offloading a variety of different weapons. Surely they would have been room for more supplies in the helicopters if all this equipment had been left behind.

Lieutenants Forman and Marshall came over to join the group and were promptly introduced by Twilight.

"Well, guess that does it for the introductions," Becker said. "Sheriff, if there's a place I could set up a command center…" Becker suggested.

"There's an open room in the town hall," Silverstar replied. "Y'all are welcome to set up there."

Becker nodded his thanks and they all began to make their way towards the town. Applejack, Rarity, and Braeburn intercepted them and more introductions were made. A few more minutes of walking and they arrived at the entrance to Appleloosa; a town which, Becker thought, looked surprisingly empty.

"Where is everypony?" Twilight wondered, surveying the desolation that had overcome the town.

"Probably hiding," Forman said. "Ponies do seem to take some time to warm up to us."

"Garnet, Jackson, go take a gander into that house over there," Becker ordered. "See if there's anyone home."

The two soldiers hustled over to the indicated building and peered in through an open window. There were possessions strewn about the interior, but otherwise no signs of life. "Nothing, sir!"

Lieutenant Marshall's eyes tracked Tumbleweed blowing across the abandoned streets. "This is eerie…" he muttered.

"We'd have noticed a wide scale evacuation," Forman commented.

"Or a Buffalo attack," Marshall added.

"So where did they all go?" Becker finished.

"Sir! Over there; look!" called a soldier.

"What is it?" Forman asked.

"I saw movement. It was like a… pink flash of some sort."

"A pink flash, eh?" Forman let out a sigh. "Well, I don't _think_ we have anything to worry about," he reported to Captain Becker.

"Look! There it is again!"

"It's coming closer!" another soldier said, a cry of alarm rising in his voice.

"Stand down, everyone," Becker said, beginning to catch on. "It's—" a loud boom cut him off, and the streets, as well as everyone on them, were showered in confetti.

"Surprise party!" bellowed none other than Pinkie Pie, emerging from a hiding place and appearing in front of the confused soldiers.

Appleloosans began to tentatively reveal themselves, per Pinkie Pie's instructions. It was at this moment that Twilight made sense of what was happening.

"Captain, Pinkie Pie was placed in charge of coordinating a meeting between your men and the Appleloosans," she explained. "Apparently, she thought that a surprise party would be the best way to do it."

"Well… it certainly was a surprise," Becker replied, brushing confetti off his shoulder.

"I do hope you don't find that objectionable," Rarity said.

Captain Becker shrugged. "I've been greeted in worse ways. At least this time I'm not being shot at."

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash trudged through across the sunbaked earth. Spike was following behind her, but she was not making conversation with him. In fact, she barely even registered the dragon's presence.<p>

Despite Spike's advice to hold out on passing judgment, Rainbow Dash was not somepony who often waited. Preferring to live her life in the fast lane, Dash had already made up her mind about the situation. As far as she was concerned, the settlers were in the wrong for breaking their agreement with the Buffalo.

"Dash… break," pleaded Spike, panting.

"No time, Spike," she replied without even looking at him. "We need to find Twilight ASAP and let her know what's going on."

"You can just fly there, ya' know. I'm sure it'd be a lot quicker."

"And leave you by yourself? No way!"

"Well… what if you carry me on your back?"

"Carry you…" Rainbow Dash thought it over. She didn't usually take passengers, but if it meant reaching Appleloosa faster… "Alright Spike." She leaned down and spread her wings. "Hop on."

* * *

><p>"So, the root problem is changes in population?" Captain Becker had just had the situation explained to him and was now trying to isolate the main causes of the problem.<p>

Number Line nodded his head. "Yes, Captain; that's correct."

"Hmm." The room was silent, allowing the sounds of Pinkie's party to permeate the walls. From the sound of things, he was missing quite a party, but Becker assigned much higher priority to correcting the issue at hand.

Twilight Sparkle was equally deep in thought. "The question is, how do we use this information?"

"Sir, I've got an idea," piped Lieutenant Forman.

Becker gestured for him to go ahead.

"Okay sir, so with the Buffalo no longer receiving the amount of food necessary to sustain their population, we will need to supply them as part of our peace-keeping mission. But, this provides us with an opportunity to contain them."

"Explain."

"We set up food-camps operated by our soldiers, sir. We require the Buffalo to take up temporary residence in the camp to obtain food and medical supplies. We can monitor them and make sure they don't stage any large assaults on Appleloosa."

"That's… rather deceitful, Lieutenant," Rarity said, slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes," Becker agreed, "but nonetheless, it's a valid idea. A good one, even."

"Hm… I guess the Buffalo do get their food," Twilight said.

"Do you think the Buffalo would go along with it?" Marshall asked.

"Well… they're bound to be starvin'," Applejack said.

"I'll say they're starving!" boomed a voice from the door. Everyone turned and say Rainbow Dash marching into the room.

"Oh good, Rainbow; you're here," Forman greeted.

Dash was not in the mood to exchange pleasantries, however. "Twilight, Captain Becker," she said, addressing whom she considered the most senior present, "the Appleloosans have stopped sending the Buffalo the food that they _agreed_ to give them!"

"Well of course they did," Applejack said, frowning slightly. "The Buffalo started attackin' the orchards again."

"Applejack!" Rainbow's eyes shot open wide. "How are you not with me on this one! The Appleloosans went back on their agreement! Call me crazy, but that doesn't seem very _honest_, now does it?"

Sheriff Silverstar's eyebrows flared with indignation. "We sent them their food until _they_ day they attacked _us_!"

Everypony began to become involved in the debate until the argument became an unintelligible jumble of opinions. Everypony, except for Twilight, who found herself at a loss to prevent the infighting between her friends.

"_Settle down_!" roared Captain Becker. He waited until there was complete silence from the occupants of the room and continued. "I think _both sides_ contributed to this problem, so it will take _both sides_ to resolve it!"

He looked each of them in the eyes as he spoke. "Bickering is petty, childish, and brings us no closer to finding a solution for our common problem."

"Captain Becker is right," Twilight said. "There's a lot of Buffalo and Ponies counting on us to come up with a solution. We can't afford to be fighting amongst ourselves like this."

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Applejack," she said to the farmer.

"It's alright, Rainbow. I could've handled myself better, too."

"That takes care of that, I guess," Forman said, "but we kind of were in the middle of planning something."

Becker let out a chuckle. "So we were. We'd better get back to work, then."


	13. Chapter 13

**Authors note: **Special thanks to HYBRID BATTLESHIP INFINITY210 for helping me out with the chapter.

**Chapter 13**

As the sun rose over the horizon, a lone Buffalo crept across the dry earth. He was a part of the Buffalo's newest defense measure; patrolling random areas around the tribe's encampment, keeping an eye out for any approaching intruders. Should he spot one, the young Buffalo would sprint back to the came so he could warn the rest of the tribe.

Until the day that the Humans arrived, this had never been necessary. The Buffalo needed only to keep an eye on Appleloosa. Being the only Pony town within hundreds of miles of the Buffalo and housing the train station, Appleloosa used to be the most likely place for an attack to originate from. But now the Humans were present with aircraft, meaning an attack could come from any direction.

The Buffalo abruptly stopped and listened. He could hear some growing sound; the deep growling of some primal beast. _It must be behind one of the hills,_ he thought. Surely enough, something began to crest over the top of a nearby hill, and his muscles tensed, ready for action.

It came to a dead stop at the peak of the hill, and the Buffalo recognized it as a Human vehicle. Not one of the machines that carried them through the air; this one crawled over the ground. It was like a train, only without the need for tracks.

The Buffalo turned around and ran. Not only to alert the tribe, but also for his very life. He didn't know much about Humans, nor their machines. But he heard that they were soldiers. And while he didn't understand the Humans equipment, he knew soldiers would come armed with weapons. In the case of the Humans, these weapons were clearly quite powerful.

* * *

><p>"Forman, when you said you wanted to come with me to see the Buffalo, and kinda' assumed it would be…ya' know… just <em>you<em>."

Lieutenant Forman looked up at Rainbow Dash and shrugged. "Well, I could have come alone, but then I'd have to walk." He grinned momentarily.

The lieutenant was sitting atop a Stryker APC, which had been carrying him and a squad of soldiers through the desert. Rainbow Dash had been leading the vehicle towards the Buffalo camp, but they had stopped on the top of this hill to give her a chance to rest and get her bearings.

Rainbow Dash squinted at Forman and looked him over. "Hmm… Forman, are you feeling alright?"

"What?" Forman asked, confused. "Yes, I feel fine. Why?"

"It's just… it sounds like you just made a joke."

"What's wrong with that?" Forman demanded. "I can make jokes!"

"Well…" Rainbow replied, skeptically. "You can _try_."

"Why shouldn't I make jokes?!"

"For starters, jokes are supposed to be funny," Dash replied.

"That's not what I meant!" Forman replied, plainly irritated.

Dash sighed. "You just never really seemed like the joke-making type; too concerned with all your procedures, and the like."

"I can make all the jokes I want to," Forman huffed.

"Well… keep at it, I guess. You know what they say, practice makes perfect. I mean… just look at me!" She leapt into the air and displayed her wings grandly.

"What about you? I'm not seeing practice,_ or_ perfection."

"_Hey!_"

Before the two could continue, Corporal Garnet interrupted them.

"Lieutenant Forman," he said, stepping out of the APC. "Captain Becker just called and wanted to know if we've reached the Buffalo yet."

"What'd you tell him, Corporal?"

"That we're still on our way, sir. If I might make a suggestion, sir, we should probably get moving again."

Forman nodded. "Yes, good call, Corporal. Dash," he looked at the Pegasus, "lead the way."

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Marshall, Captain Becker, and Sheriff Silverstar looked over the schematic that had been drawn for the Buffalo food distribution and containment camp. All the necessary features for such an operation were present; supply houses, distribution points, a barracks for camp personnel, and a large field so the Buffalo could pitch their teepees. And of course, plenty of barbed-wire.<p>

"So, this is yer prison camp?" Sheriff Silverstar asked, gazing down at the paper covering his desk.

"No, Sheriff," Captain Becker replied, in a tone indicating this wasn't the first time they had gone over this. "This is a food distribution camp."

"Complete with barbed-wire and guard towers," the sheriff observed.

Becker sighed and cut right to the chase. "We'll need some Ponies from the town to help assemble it. We've got all the supplies necessary, but not the manpower to get the job done quickly."

Silverstar shrugged. "I'm sure you'll have no trouble findin' volunteers to help ya' put those vandal Buffalo away."

"That's good to hear," Becker replied.

"I'd check the farms; lots of those Ponies would be bound to help if it means protectin' their crops."

Captain Becker nodded. "I'll be sure to do that." He signaled to Lieutenant Marshall, who rolled up the diagram and picked it up off the Sheriff's desk.

"Anything else, Captain?" Silverstar asked.

"No, Sheriff. Thank you for your time."

The captain and the lieutenant left the Sheriff's office and returned to their own, located further down the hallway.

"He doesn't seem to think finding labor will be a problem, sir," Marshall said, closing the door.

"No, apparently not. He _does_ seem to think this is a prison camp, though."

"Well…" Marshall began, "it does look that way, doesn't it sir? I mean, it's got guards, spotlights, razor wire, and everything else you might expect to find in a prison."

"It does look like a prison," Becker agreed. "I have no intention of_ forcing_ them to relocate, though. We're going to be offering them food, and if they want it, they'll go to the camp where we can keep an eye on them. But we could hardly hope to contain them without some physical security in place."

"I see, sir." Marshall replied.

"Your friend Applejack, Lieutenant," Becker said, changing the subject. "Do you think she'll be able to help round up some workers? We'll pay them of course… somehow." He realized he didn't really have any of Equestria's currency at his disposal, and made a mental note to talk to Twilight about it.

"She might, sir. One of her cousins works in the orchard, and I imagine she's getting along with the rest of the workers just fine."

"Good. Go talk to her about it please, Lieutenant," Becker instructed.

"Yes, sir." Marshall turned and left the office.

* * *

><p>Chief Thunderhooves stood at the entrance to his camp, with two-dozen Buffalo warriors at his back. When the scout had reported Humans heading their way, the tribe had scrambled to organize a defense should the Humans prove to be hostile. The warriors with him now were the best in the tribe, and their best hope to fend off the Humans.<p>

So far though, there had been no sigh of what had sent the scout racing back to the camp. It could still be on its way of course, but Thunderhooves knew the Humans were capable of moving at great speeds. He was just beginning to hope there were no Humans inbound to his camp, when he saw the tan APC appear at the crest of a nearby hill. The Buffalo and the Stryker held their positions, each waiting for the other to make a move.

"Hey, uh, Chief?"

Thunderhooves looked towards the source of the sound and saw Rainbow Dash standing in front of him. He must have been too focused on the ACP to notice her.

"Rainbow Dash!" he exclaimed. "The Humans have found us."

"Actually, I kinda'… brought them here."

One of the Humans dismounted from the vehicle and began to approach the Buffalo.

"You did _what_?!" Thunderhooves had been certain that Dash wouldn't betray their location, so it came as quite a shock that she had led these soldiers here personally.

"It's alright, Chief; they just want to talk," Dash assured him.

"In her defense," the approaching Human said, "Dash didn't really do anything of great significance. It would have taken us maybe thirty minutes to locate your camp. All she did was save us some time."

Thunderhooves opened his mouth to reply, but no words came. He had no idea just what he should say to this Human. He could demand that he leave, of course, but so far it seemed Dash was correct when she said they were only interested in talking. It would be foolish to provoke an unnecessary fight, not brave.

Luckily for the Buffalo chief, Dash was willing to do the speaking. "Chief Thunderhooves, meet Lieutenant Jason Forman."

"A lieutenant… you're in The Guard?" Thunderhooves asked. He had a basic familiarity with the Equestrian Royal Guard ranks, and knew that lieutenant was among them.

Forman however, shook his head. "United States Army."

This was neither a country nor an organization familiar to Chief Thunderhooves, which supported the idea that these Humans were not from this world. "I've heard stories…"

"That we're from a different world? They're true," Forman nodded. "In fact, we're from a totally different reality. But that's beside the point; we're here now, and we're going to help you resolve your problems with the Appleloosans."

The Buffalo nodded, gruffly. He didn't trust the Humans yet, but it didn't look like they had any hostile intentions. They would have to see if that was still the case when the Buffalo told this lieutenant that they would not be capitulating to the Appleloosans demands that the tribe move on to another area, Thunderhooves thought.

"Is there any place we can talk?" Forman asked.

Thunderhooves nodded again. "My teepee." Without explaining any further, the chief of the Buffalo tribe turned around and headed towards his teepee. Lieutenant Forman could choose to follow, or he could remain here. But Thunderhooves wasn't about to give him any change to debate where they should talk. The Chiefs teepee would just have to be good enough.

* * *

><p>Applejack slammed her rear hooves into the trunk of an apple tree. The thick trunk didn't move much, but the shock from the impact traveled up the tree and into the branches, which shook lose any apples clinging to the branches. Applejack was well practiced in this maneuver, and the resultant apples showered down around her. She moved to another tree and delivered the same powerful kick. She was so totally engrossed in her task that it took her several seconds to realize that her name was being called.<p>

"Applejack? Uh… Applejack?"

"Huh? What?" She looked frantically towards the source of the voice and saw a rather curious Lieutenant Marshall eyeing her.

"Oh; uh, howdy there, Lieutenant."

"The Appleloosans have you hard at work, I see," Marshall said, taking notice of the apples littering the ground.

"Just doin' my part to help out the town," Applejack said, dismissively. "So, what can I do for ya'?"

"The Earth Ponies here; they're hard workers, right?" asked Marshall.

Applejack nodded. "Some of the best."

"You think we could convince them to work for us?"

Applejack cocked her head to the side. "I reckon ya' could. Gotta' project in mind?"

"The food distribution camp for the Buffalo. Captain Becker wants it completed ASAP."

Applejack looked thoughtful. "This camp… it'll help keep the Buffalo away from Appleloosa?"

"That's the general idea," Marshall replied. "It'll keep them contained and provide them with more than enough food to keep them happy.

"Well, if it keeps Appleloosa safe, I'm sure the community would be glad to help ya'."

Marshall nodded. "That was what Sheriff Silverstar seemed to think. If it's not too much trouble though, do you think you might could introduce me to some of the workers around here?"

Applejack considered his question. She had been in the middle of apple-bucking, and it seemed Lieutenant Marshall was asking for introductions now. When she surveyed the work she had accomplished, however, she felt reasonably confident that she had made sufficient progress on these trees. "Alright," she decided. "Come with me."

* * *

><p>"Chief Thunderhooves," Lieutenant Forman began, "I have an offer to make you."<p>

Thunderhooves let out a breath; more of a grumble than a sigh. This wasn't the first occasion a so-called offer had been made to him. They usually entailed his entire tribe packing up and moving far away from Appleloosa; as if the settlement had been there first and the Buffalo were the ones encroaching on territory. So when he heard that Forman wanted to make an offer of some sort he was understandably skeptical. Nevertheless, he nodded to the lieutenant, signaling for him to proceed.

"I'll keep this as basic as I can. It's come to our attention that the Buffalo tribe is no longer receiving the same amounts of food that they used to. Therefore we are constructing a food distribution camp for any Buffalo willing to take up residence there, which they must do to receive food. You'll be safe, you'll receive any necessary medical attention, and you'll be supplied food. In exchange the Ponies will be safe from any marauding attacks on their farms."

Chief Thunderhooves thought it over carefully. They were being offered food, which was something the tribe found itself in short supply of. However, it also sounded like they would be confined to one area.

"Your camp; it sounds rather… confining."

"At certain times during the day, Buffalo will be permitted to roam freely. Under supervision, of course."

"Hmm…"

"We aren't going to force you into this camp," Forman continued.

"If a Buffalo wishes to leave, they will be permitted to do so?" Thunderhooves asked.

"Yes, but you understand that if a Buffalo does choose to leave we won't accept them back in to the camp."

"I'll inform the tribe of your offer," Thunderhooves said. "If they wish to be a part of your camp, then so be it; they're free to do so. I myself, however, have no intention of participating. To allow myself to be restricted into confines imposed on me by another goes against my very nature."

Lieutenant Forman nodded. "Thank you. We'll be back later once we have more details for you."

"Until you return then, Lieutenant Forman," Thunderhooves said as a farewell. Lieutenant Forman stood up and left the teepee, leaving the chief alone with his thoughts. So far, none of the offers he had heard were worth mentioning to the tribe. But now they were being offered food and medicine, and while the chief didn't plan to capitalize on it himself, it was certainly better than the deals the Ponies had been offering. Maybe, just maybe, the luck of the Buffalo was about to change for the better.

* * *

><p>"They all volunteered then? Just like that?<p>

"Yes sir. Every single Pony present was more than willing to lend a hand. I'd say that before the end of the week we'll have a suitable construction team assembled. Maybe even sooner."

Captain Becker and Lieutenant Marshall were discussing the matter of recruiting workers to assemble the food distribution camp. So far things looked promising. There was still one matter which concerned Captain Becker.

"What about payment?"

Marshall shrugged. "They didn't seem interested. Those Ponies were practically begging to be allowed to work on this. They're really community minded, sir," Marshall said, with admiration. "If it'll help out their town then they're more than willing to work for free."

"Well, that takes care of our money problem," Becker said._ Still though, I should talk to Twilight about exchanging currency or something._

"That it does, sir. We will need to organize the work details, but I'm sure Princess Twilight would be glad to help with that."

"Then it seems all that's left is for Lieutenant Forman to return with his report on how accepting the Buffalo are of the idea."

"I don't think we'll need to wait long, sir," Marshall replied, peering out one of the office's windows. "His Stryker just returned."

Two minutes later Lieutenant Forman was sitting in a chair across from Captain Becker, a cup of coffee in hand. Rainbow Dash was hovering behind him, preferring to remain active. Forman took a sip of his drink, and Captain Becker gestured for him to deliver his report.

"All in all, sir," Forman said, leaning forward in his chair and setting the mug down on the desk, "I'd say things went rather well. Chief Thunderhooves said that he'd announce our offer to the rest of his tribe and from there it would be up to the individual Buffalo."

Becker shrugged. "Well, that's what we were hoping for, more or less."

"Yes, sir," Forman said, and then added a little uncomfortably, "The chief himself didn't seem big on the idea, though. He has no intention of moving into the camp."

"I see," Becker replied. The tribe's chief was an influential figure; his decision could very well determine how successful this project would be. "Any change he might change his mind, Lieutenant?"

Forman shook his head. "No, sir; I don't think so. His freedom is too important, and he knows that it'd be restricted at the camp."

"Hmm…" Becker scratched his head. "Maybe he'll change his mind if he hears positive reports about the camp from the Buffalo."

"Anything is possible, sir; I wouldn't count on it though. Then again, I don't really know the guy." Forman looked at Rainbow Dash, whom he knew did have some prior experience with Chief Thunderhooves. "Dash, what do you think?"

The Pegasus gave no sign of having heard him. She stared intently out the window of the second-story office, presumably onto the streets below.

"Dash… _Rainbow Dash_!" Lieutenant Forman repeated, applying more force to the words.

"Huh?" She looked around, bewildered, and then realized that Forman had been calling for her. "Oh, sorry. I was kinda' distracted by the huge mob outside."

Captain Becker exchanged glances with Lieutenant Forman, and then Lieutenant Marshall. "Huge crowd?" asked the captain, standing up from his desk and moving to one of the windows along with the other two soldiers.

Sure enough, a large crowd of Ponies had gathered around the town hall. "What in the hell?" Becker asked, aloud. He looked over at the other occupants of the room for some sort of explanation, but they all seemed equally lost. The Ponies that formed the crowd took notice of the observers and began cheering wildly.

"Well… at least it's not an _angry_ mob," Lieutenant Marshall said, ducking back inside.

"Indeed," Becker replied. "Although I'm not entirely sure what they're cheering for."

"Isn't it obvious? Us; duh!" Dash said, as if the answer should be obvious.

"Yeah, but what about us?" Forman asked her.

"Meh; unimportant detail. I'm just going to go enjoy it," she replied, and leapt out the office window. _Oohs_ and _aahs_ poured in through the window, undoubtedly in response to some aerial acrobatics Dash was performing for the entertainment of the crowd.

"Right… let's go find out what's going on," Becker said, and started towards the stairs.

As they stepped outside Dash popped out in front of them, sporting a grin from ear-to-ear. "Isn't this awesome?!"

"Don't get too excited, Dash," Lieutenant Forman cautioned. "We still don't know what they want."

"Who cares what they want?" asked Dash. "If the crowd's happy, then I'm happy."

"Who cares?" Forman asked, incredulously. "_I _care! For all we know this could be the first stage in some sort of ritualistic murder!"

"Look," Dash sighed, and rolled her eyes. "If you really want to know what these Ponies want, you could always, I dunno, _ask them_!"

Lieutenant Forman exchanged glances with his comrades, momentarily at a loss for words that they hadn't thought of that incredibly simple solution. "That's… probably the most logical thing I've ever heard you say."

"Glad to hear it," Dash said, before realizing it hadn't really been a compliment. "Hey!" she called, but the three U.S. soldiers had already moved off.

Captain Becker approached one of the Ponies in the front of the crowd and drew in a breath to speak. Before he could ask any questions though, that member of the crowd, an aging female Earth Pony, smiled brightly at him and spoke.

"Oh, I'm so glad that y'all are here!" she said.

"You're… glad we're here?" Becker repeated, confused.

"Why of course! Just 'bout everypony in town heard that yer gonna' lock up all them nasty Buffalo. On behalf of the town of Appleloosa, we're here to express our undying gratitude that yer working to keep us safe, and to let ya' know that we'll help in any way we can."

Other Ponies around her expressed the same general sentiment to the captain, and Becker guessed that much the same thing was happening to Forman and Marshall.

"Oh… right, the camp." It all made sense now. In a town like Appleloosa, events tended to be exaggerated as they spread through the community. And while the idea that the soldiers were present to keep Appleloosa safe was correct, Captain Becker didn't want the Ponies of the town to get any misconceptions regarding the nature of the camp itself.

"I think that _locked up_ is too strong a word," Becker said, "but we are certainly here to try and keep you safe."

"If yeh ain't locking 'em up, then how are you gonna keep us safe?"

As Becker prepared an answer for her he noticed Sheriff Silverstar standing on the raised platform outside the town hall's entrance, silently observing the spectacle before him. The captain suddenly wondered if perhaps the sheriff had stirred up this crowd in an effort to pressure the Humans into using the food camp as a prison. He turned his attention back to the Pony in front of him, still waiting for an answer.

"I'm afraid you wouldn't understand unless you had years of experience as a military tactician," he said, trying to terminate the conversation. "Please excuse me; I need to talk to the sheriff."

Without waiting for an answer, Captain Becker disengaged himself from the crowd and stormed over to Sheriff Silverstar. The sheriff raised his eyebrows at Becker as he approached, but otherwise said nothing.

"Is that your plan, then?" Becker hissed.

Silverstar gave him a confused look. "My… plan?"

"Get the public to try and pressure us into forcing the Buffalo into the camp? It's not going to work; admission to the camp will be _strictly _voluntary!"

"Captain," Silverstar sighed, "I didn't have anything to do with this. Seems to me like gossip just got outta' hand, and now the town has a slightly exaggerated idea about what yer plans for the camp are."

Becker's anger subsided. The sheriff might be telling the truth, and so far there was no indicated that he had been responsible for the rumor that the camp was to be a prison.

The sheriff continued. "And if you don't have any proof that I'm behind all this, ya' hardly have any right to come and accuse me of any wrongdoing."

Captain Becker conceded this point. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"No harm done, I suppose," Silverstar replied.

"Captain Becker!"

Becker heard his name called above the buzz of the crowd. Turning, he saw Twilight and her friends, minus Rainbow Dash, galloping full speed towards them. "Captain!" Twilight repeated, and skidded to a halt in front of him and the sheriff.

"We could hear all this commotion from a mile away!" Applejack said, sweeping a hoof over the crowd.

"What's going on, Captain?" Twilight asked.

Becker looked at the crowd and then at Twilight. "It seems," he began, "that we've got volunteers."

Twilight raised her eyebrows in surprise over the size of the crowd. "Volunteers? You mean for—"

Her question was drowned out by one of the Ponies in the crowd. "Look! There's the princess!"

Twilight froze as she realized the attention of the entire crowd had suddenly shifted onto her. She didn't care much to suddenly become the center of attention, and the experience was made worse by the fact that the entire crowd was silently and expectantly watching her.

"Uhm… hello!" She raised a hoof and waved to the crowd, forcing a large smile onto her face. The mob, however, did not appear to be satisfied and kept their eyes glued to her.

"Why are they staring at me like I sprouted a second horn?" she hissed through gritted teeth while maintaining her fake, wide smile.

"I think they want you to say something," Becker whispered back. "Like a speech or something."

"A speech? How could they possibly expect a speech?!" Twilight demanded, never once losing her forced grin. "I _just_ got here!"

"Just say… something! Briefly describe what we're trying to accomplish, and then offer to take questions. If you don't know the answer, just hand the question over to me and I'll deal with it," Captain Becker recommended.

Twilight took a deep breath. While she was certainly capable of public speaking and had done so on several occasions before, she'd had time to prepare for those events. This was totally out of the blue, so it took her a minute or so to get her thoughts together and finally address the crowd.

"Uhm… Hello, everypony!" She spoke with a cheerful tone to mask the nervousness she felt. "We all appreciate that you're here to offer your help."

Unintelligible calls went up from the crowd as they reaffirmed their support. Twilight waited for the noise to die down before continuing on.

"So, what we basically want to accomplish here is the construction of a food camp to distribute supplies to Buffalo willing to attend. This will both allow the Humans to keep an eye on them, and provide food for the Buffalo to encourage them to negotiate."

Captain Becker winced inwardly. Technically, Twilight's description was correct. However, Chief Thunderhooves didn't seem to be interested in attending the camp. Bearing that in mind, it seemed quite possible that negotiations with the Buffalo's leadership would be made no more effective by the introduction of a food camp for Buffalo.

"We need volunteers from Appleloosa to help build the camp," Twilight continued, "and that's where all of you will come in. With your support, I'm positive we'll have this camp finished in no time at all, and we'll be on our way to ending this land dispute with the Buffalo, once and for all."

Twilight glanced sideways at Captain Becker, who nodded. She was doing well enough, it seemed.

"Now, if anypony has any questions then now is the time to ask," Twilight concluded.

A mare in the front row raised up a hoof.

"Yes, you in the front," Twilight called.

"Beggin' yer pardon, Princess, but I thought this camp was meant to hold the all Buffalo up so they couldn't attack us."

"Well, it is," Twilight said. "But it only contains Buffalo who are willing to go to the camp."

"But why would they be willing to go someplace where you can lock 'em up?" asked another Pony.

"The Buffalo are low on food," Twilight explained. "The incentive for them to go to the camp is the promise that they'll receive food."

"I dunno 'bout this. Seems to more it'd be more effective if y'all would just round 'em all up, Princess." A mummer of agreement rippled through the crowd and this suggestion was echoed several times.

"No… everypony, please," Twilight pleaded, trying to take back control of the crowd, to no avail. They seemed determined to convince her that the best course of action was to simply forcefully relocate the Buffalo to the camp.

"_Enough_!" Twilight bellowed, finally snapping, and a hush came over the crowd. Twilight let out a sigh and her look of anger turned into one of disappointment.

"How can any of you want to force others into leaving their home? The Buffalo have just as much right to exist here as we do." Twilight stared at out at the crowd, and they stared back.

"I know it must seem difficult to resolve your differences with the Buffalo," Twilight continued, "but we can't sacrifice the right thing to do, for the easy thing to do.

"If you and the Buffalo can't make peace then the only way to solve your problems will be war. I think," Twilight paused for effect, "that you would much rather find a peaceful solution. And that means that you're going to have to be the bigger pony, and let the Buffalo know that you _want_ peace. And what better way is there to do that than to help them feed themselves?"

With Twilight's address to the crowd concluded, Captain Becker found himself holding his breath, waiting for their response. He knew this was a pivotal moment; if they had lost the support of the town then it was unlikely they would gain it back. It was burning agony, waiting for the Appleloosans to either accept or reject Twilight's words.

As the seconds droned on, he became certain that Twilight's effort had failed. They would be run out of town and the Appleloosans would refuse to settle things peacefully. So when Becker finally did hear the crowd's opinion, he braced himself for the worst. Much to his surprise and relief though, the Ponies didn't sound angry. In fact, it sounded like they supported Twilight.

There were two factors that contributed to Twilight's success. The first, she was a princess. As a member of Equestria's ruling class, Ponies tended to listen to her and value her opinion. The second one though, had more to do with the Appleloosans themselves.

Most Equestrians were neither inherently violent nor spiteful, and the Ponies who made up the town of Appleloosa we no different. Their anger with the Buffalo caused many of them to become resentful towards the tribe, but that didn't necessarily mean that the Appleloosans didn't want peace with them. Especially now that it had been pointed out their only alternative would be war.

Not all the ponies present shared the majority's opinion, though. Some stood silently as others around them were cheering enthusiastically. Others would turn to their neighbor and engage in a hushed conversation. Captain Becker took notice of several who simply left the assembly. For the most part, however, Twilight seemed to have won them over.

"Well, gentlemen," Captain Becker said to Forman and Marshall, who had made their way over to him. "It looks like we're in business."

"Yes, sir," Forman agreed. "So… how are we going to do this? Organize volunteers, I mean."

"Gotta' pen and some paper?" Becker asked, and then gestured towards the crowd. "Form them into a line, take down their information, then we'll break them up into work details."

The two lieutenants exchanged glances, and then got to work. Lieutenant Forman removed a pen from the sleeve of his uniform, and Lieutenant Marshall issued orders to the crowd.

"Form into a single-file line, please!" Marshall's voice boomed above the chatter of the crowd. "Single-file!"

With the line beginning to take shape, Lieutenant Forman walked to the front of it, notepad and pen in hand. He let out a deep, resigned sigh, steeling himself for what was sure to be a long and arduous process. Mental preparations complete, the lieutenant looked at the Earth Pony in front of him. "Name, species, and street address, please."

* * *

><p>By all accounts, Blackjack was a fairly typical of an Earth Pony settler. He worked in the orchard, had a strong work ethic, knew most of his fellow laborers by name, and enjoyed relaxing in the town's tavern after slaving away in the fields all day. And, more recently, he had been assigned by the Humans to General Construction Crew Three, where he had been working for the last five days; every day since he had signed up after Twilight's address to the crowd.<p>

Unlike most of volunteers however, Blackjack's motives were much less charitable. He had lived in Appleloosa since its founding, and darned if a bunch of Buffalo would stand in its way of progress. If it was up to him, the Buffalo would be corralled into the camp as soon as it was completed. It was this thought that motived Blackjack to volunteer; the faint hope that the Buffalo might be secured behind the camps barbed-wire fences and steel gates. _It's practically a prison anyway_, Blackjack thought, as he made his way into the tavern. _Why won't the Humans just lock all those Buffalo away?_

"Hey, Jack!" One of the friends called upon seeing Blackjack enter the establishment.

Blackjack grunted a reply and made his way over to the stallion who had called his name. He sat down in a stool next to him and several other friends. Seconds later a tankard of apple cider appeared in front of him. By now, Blackjack and his preferences were well known to the tavern's staff.

He picked his tankard up and peered into it before taking a sip. It tasted fine as always, but the drink did little to bolster his spirits on this occasion.

"Well, you seem to be in a mighty fine mood tonight," one of his friends said, sarcastically.

"It's all this business with the Buffalo," Blackjack grumbled.

The other stallion rolled his eyes. "Not this again…"

"I'm serious!" Blackjack replied, forcefully. "We should me makin' sure they're all put away, not building 'em a hotel!"

"Jack," another friend began, "all of us agree with you. Nopony here cares much for Buffalo."

"Which is why none of us are helpin' out with that food camp," said the first stallion.

Blackjack groaned; he had been over this with them a dozen times, but they just never seemed to get it. "Listen, that camp would be the perfect place to corral the buffalo into if we could just get the Humans on board with the idea."

"Are how are you gonna' that? Seems to me like the Humans are takin' orders from the princess, and we know whose side _she's_ on."

Blackjack tapped a hoof against his muzzle contemplatively. "What if," he said at last, "the Humans _had_ to lock the Buffalo up?"

His friends exchanged confused glances. "_Had_ to lock them up?" one of them asked.

Blackjack nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," he said, an idea developing in his mind. "The Humans said they're here to keep peace, right?"

His friend nodded. He had spoken to a Human soldier earlier who had said something to that effect. "Sure. So what?"

"So, what if the Buffalo had to be locked up in order to keep peace?"

"Then I guess they'd have to lock up the Buffalo," another replied. "But I wouldn't count on that happenin'. Why would the Buffalo become aggressive all of a sudden'?"

"Because we're going to make then," Blackjack said, with a grin. "C'mon everypony, I have a plan."


	14. Chapter 14

**Authors note: **This took a lot longer to write than I had hoped. In my defense, I've been pretty bust the past couple of weeks. Anyway, enjoy, and please let me know if you spot any misspelled words.

**Chapter 14**

Rarity released a contented sigh as she stepped out of Appleloosa's inn and into the warm morning sun's light. She paused a moment to enjoy the crisp air, her noise detecting faint traces of a pleasant-smelling wood fire. A city pony she may be, but Rarity couldn't deny that small towns like Appleloosa in the rustic countryside had some appeal.

Rarity was looking forward to the rest of the day ahead of her. Since her arrival in the small town, she hadn't had more than a couple hours to herself. Fortunately though, the recent successes of her and her friends meant that today, her schedule was totally unoccupied. To Rarity, this meant she finally had a chance to work on the dress she had brought along. She would take a quick walk around Appleloosa to organize her thoughts, and then the dressmaker would return to her room in the inn to begin her work. Fate however, seemed to have other plans.

"Miss Rarity! Miss Rarity!"

She turned and saw Braeburn charging towards her at an all-out gallop.

"Braeburn!" she exclaimed as he skidded to a halt in front of her. "What ever is the matter?"

Braeburn inhaled deeply as he tried to catch his breath. "Something's happened!" he gasped. "One of the town's warehouses had been burned down."

"Goodness! Burned down?!" Rarity exclaimed. The smoky air was now much less pleasant. "Well… surely Sheriff Silverstar should be notified."

Braeburn nodded. "He's there now. Along with your friends; they wanted me to come and find you."

_That explains their absence this morning_, Rarity thought. "Lead the way," she instructed Braeburn.

Rarity followed Braeburn at the fastest speed she could muster until the pair finally arrived at the warehouse. Not that there was any particular need for urgency, though; the building had been long destroyed by fire, leaving only charred and blackened remains.

A large concentration of camouflage-clad soldiers was present, milling about in the streets and inspecting what little was left of the warehouse. Braeburn lead Rarity over to a soldier directing the efforts of the other men; a soldier Rarity was quick to recognize.

"Captain Becker!" Rarity called as she approached him.

"Miss Rarity," he said over his shoulder and then immediately returned his attention to the task at hand.

"Captain, what happened here?" Rarity pressed.

Becker shrugged, clearly distracted. "We're still trying to piece that together ourselves. All that's known at the moment is that this building burned to the ground sometime early this morning."

"Where are Twilight and the others?"

"Searching the surrounding areas for clues," Becker explained. "Right now—''

"Sir! Captain!" Captain Becker was interrupted by a soldier who rushed over to them. His name tape read _Garnet_; a name Rarity thought she recognized.

"Yes, Corporal? What is it?" Becker asked him.

"Captain," Corporal Garnet repeated, "we've found something."

He lead them over to the other side of the warehouse; the side that faced the open expanse of the countryside. Upon arriving at the intended destination, Garnet kneeled down and pointed out something on the ground. "Look, sir."

Rarity examined the ground indicated by the corporal and noticed hoof-prints. She initially didn't see the significance of them, considering ponies had been crawling all over the area assisting in the search for clues. She quickly realized however, that these particular prints were far too large and deep to have come from a pony. In fact, Rarity could only think of one species that could have produced such a print.

A deep frown creased Captain Becker's face as he arrived at the same conclusion. "Buffalo."

* * *

><p>Chief Thunderhooves stood mouth agape as he observed the shocking scene in front of him. What had last night been a row of teepees containing the tribe's dwindling food supply was now nothing more than incinerated wood and a plume of smoke.<p>

"Wha—what happened?" stammered one of the Buffalo.

Thunderhooves had no answer for him. He wandered forward to inspect the remains of the teepees more carefully. Perhaps this was all just a tragic accident; a camp fire built too close to the tents. That seemed to be the most likely explanation.

That was, until something caught the Buffalo chief's eye.

Thunderhooves inspected the ground, and noticed two deep grooves imprinted in the dirt. He had seen these marks before; the tires Human vehicles made them as they drove over the ground.

Suddenly, everything made sense. The Humans wanted the Buffalo in their camp, so they decided to destroy the tribes stock of food to starve them into submission. It was a cowardly tactic but undeniably logical.

Thunderhooves stomped his hooves into the ground, angrily. "Humans!" he bellowed to the other Buffalo, who shrunk back a little. "The Humans did this!"

Releasing a final short of disgust, Thunderhooves stormed back towards his teepee. This transgression could not be tolerated, and he needed to formulate a response before starvation took his Buffalo's strength. Before they were too weak to fight a war.

* * *

><p>"I don't understand… why would the Buffalo attack us?!" Twilight's hoof stomped against the ground as she asked this.<p>

Lieutenant Forman, wondering very much the same thing, looked at Captain Becker. "Any theories, sir?"

Becker rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "Well, I can think of one reason." He made an apologetic gesture. "It might be a bit of a stretch, though."

The others looked at him expectantly, so he continued. "If the Buffalo didn't want members of their tribe in our camp, then it's possible that they would try to force us into suspending camp operations by destroying the town's food supply. We would have to reroute supplies originally meant for the camp, to the town," he explained.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash declared, and all heads turned her way. "I know Chief Thunderhooves, and he'd never do something like that."

"I agree with Dash, sir," Forman said. "If Thunderhooves didn't want any Buffalo at the camp then he could have just told me to go bugger off when I made the offer."

"Chief Thunderhooves might not," Becker conceded, "but that doesn't rule out the possibility that elements of the tribe are operating without his approval."

"Like… some sorta' secret organization?" Marshall asked.

Becker shrugged. "It's hard to say for certain. It's possible, I suppose."

"Well, we need to be certain," Twilight said. "Until we know exactly why this building was burned down, we can't take any sort of action."

"I'll send some men out to the Buffalo tribe to see what they can find out," Becker said. "The rest of us should stay here to see what more we can find out about the warehouse. If we're lucky there might have been a witness or something."

Twilight nodded. "We'll ask if anypony noticed something," Twilight said, indicating herself and her Equestrian friends.

"We'll keep looking for other clues," Becker said. With their assigned tasks mutually agreed upon, the two groups split up and went about completing their missions.

* * *

><p>A pair of tan Strykers sat perched atop a hill overlooking the Buffalo tribe's encampment. The vehicles were situated a good distance from the camp's boundaries, allowing the soldiers operating them a chance to survey the tribe before proceeding any further. If the Buffalo showed signs of hostility, then the man commanding the team, Sergeant Major Erik, would be able to discern that before formulating a plan for approach.<p>

Or, at least that was the general idea. It was rather difficult to tell just what the Buffalo were up to, when you can't even spot one in the camp, Erik thought.

"See anything, Sarge?" asked Corporal Garnet, who was also scanning the horizon with a pair of binoculars.

Erik lowered his binoculars. "I don't see jack," the sergeant gruffly reported.

After making one last, fruitless sweep over the camp, Garnet lowered the binoculars from his face as well. "The Appleloosans did stop sending them supplies, right? Maybe they're all out looking for food," the corporal suggested.

"Maybe," Erik said. "Or maybe they're waiting up ambush us. Maybe the entire tribe went off to attack Appleloosa, or maybe they're all just relaxing in their teepees. We can't assume anything."

A moment of silence passed between the two men.

"What are we going to do, sir?" Garnet finally asked.

"What we were sent to do, Corporal. We're going to proceed with caution into the Buffalo camp."

The engines of the two APCs roared and the vehicles were off again, crawling towards the Buffalo's camp. All the while, a careful eye was kept out for any Buffalo that might appear.

At the top of the hill nearest to the camp, the two Strykers stopped again. The men inside them dismounted and took up a formation. With the two APCs established as the rally point and providing over-watch, the soldiers cautiously advanced towards the camp.

"Hello? Are there any Buffalo here?" Garnet called, but received no answer. He exchanged a nervous glance with the man standing beside him, Corporal Jackson, before creeping deeper into the camp.

Another soldier had the idea of checking inside a teepee. He and his buddy maneuvered to the front of the structure. Covered by his comrade and rifle half-raised, the soldier ripped back the canvas door, only to discover it was totally empty. He signaled his apparent confusion to Sergeant Major Erik, with a half-shrug.

Several other soldiers checked nearby teepees as well, each search no more successful than the last. As far as Erik's men could tell, the camp was abandoned.

Erik frowned and sniffed the air, detecting traces of smoke. Smoke in a camp tended to indicate the presence of camp-fires. The sergeant knew that leaving a burning fire in the middle of an unattended camp was a bad practice at best, and sheer stupidity at worst. Buffalo would surely know this, so why would they perform such a foolish act?

"Something's not right about this," he said, and then it struck him. The fires had been left burning because Buffalo hadn't left the camp.

_"__Sabre-One actual, this is Brawler-Two, over," _Erik's radio cackled as one of the Strykers called the sergeant.

"Brawler-Two, this is Sabre-One actual, sent traffic, over," instructed the sergeant.

_"__Uh, sir, it's probably nothing,"_ the man in the Stryker sounded slightly uneasy, _"but we're seeing some movement in the camp, fifty-or-so meters from your position, over."_

"Acknowledged," Erik quickly blurted into the microphone, and began scanning his soundings. He was about to order his men to fall back, when a bloodcurdling roar cut him off.

"What the hell?" Garnet looked towards the source of the noise, turning his head in time to receive a blow to his unprotected face by some hurled projectile.

"Ambush!" Erik bellowed as Garnet's body crumpled to the ground.

Buffalo began to reveal themselves, exiting the teepees located in the deep center of the camp and letting out piercing war-cries as they began their assault in the Humans.

"Fall back!" Erik ordered, realizing that if they stopped to engage the Buffalo, even with their superior weaponry, the Buffalo's sheer numbers would quickly overwhelm them.

Covered by the rest of the squad, Corporal Jackson draped Garnet's unconscious form over his shoulders and sprinted towards the safety of the APCs, which had noticed the trouble and were driving closer to intercept the soldiers.

Erik heard a dull _thump_ as one of the Strykers popped off a smoke grenade from its launcher. Several more followed suite as the APCs laid down a screen of smoke and tear gas to protect the retreating soldiers.

The soldiers mounted up into the vehicles, which promptly sped away from the raging Buffalo assault. The drivers kept the APCs moving at their top off-road speeds all the way back to Appleloosa. The Buffalo, however, were content to watch the Strykers speed away and disappear into the distance. Once the two vehicles fled they made no attempts to pursue them.

* * *

><p>"Captain, look!" Lieutenant Forman exclaimed, catching Captain Becker's attention and then pointing him towards two inbound APCs.<p>

"Sergeant Erik must be back," Becker said. Something about the sergeant's return seemed odd, though. He hadn't been gone long, and the Strykers moved with a sense of urgency he wouldn't have expected would be necessary.

His sense of worry picked up when only one of the vehicles stopped. The other sped past, heading towards the Human's temporary compound, which contained locations such as the barracks, armory, and a small field hospital.

"Sergeant Erik," Becker said as the sergeant dismounted the vehicle. "You're back rather quickly; is something wrong?"

"You could say that, sir," Erik replied. "The Buffalo ambushed us when we entered the camp; Corporal Garnet was injured."

"What?! Is he—!"

"Fine sir," Erik assured. "He was knocked unconscious, but the wound doesn't look too serious. More to the point though, I think those theories about the Buffalo burning down the supply warehouse isn't too farfetched."

"What's going on!"

Forman, Becker, and Erik all turned and saw the Mane Six, led by Twilight, bounding towards them.

"We saw someone getting carried into the hospital," Dash said.

"What happened?!" asked Rarity.

Fluttershy was evidently concerned. "Are they okay?"

"The Buffalo attacked Sergeant Erik's squad," Lieutenant Forman reported. "Corporal Garnet was injured and knocked unconscious."

The Ponies and Humans stood together in stunned silence. None of them had predicted this sudden upscale in aggression from the Buffalo. Even if the Buffalo had been behind the fire, burning an empty building down was very much a different thing from openly committing acts of violence. It seemed though, that the Buffalo were no longer hesitant to use force against the Appleloosans, and those who would protect them.

Captain Becker let out a frustrated breath. "Right then," he began. "Sergeant Erik, brief me in my office of what occurred when the Buffalo attacked."

"While you're doing that sir," Forman said, "I think I'll check on Corporal Garnet."

Becker nodded his approval. "Yes, do that, Lieutenant." The captain then turned and walked away with Sergeant Erik at his side.

Lieutenant Forman walked briskly towards the tent serving as a medical center, followed by the Mane Six. The tent was small but largely unoccupied, save for the medics staffing the area, Corporal Garnet, and his visitors.

The corporal had long since regained consciousness and spent the majority of the trip back holding a QuikClot gauze-sponge to the bloody gash on his face—it had been impossible for medics to properly tent to his wound while bouncing around in a retreating Stryker. The medics were just preparing to treat Garnet when Lieutenant Forman and company entered.

When Garnet caught sight of the lieutenant he attempted to rise to his feet but was promptly pushed back into a sitting position by one of the medics.

"At easy, Corporal," Forman said in case the man should attempt to rise again. "Are you alright?"

"I'm all good, sir," Garnet replied. "It looks worse than it is."

That particular cliché did little to reassure Forman. "You might have some minor head injuries; a concussion, perhaps."

"I'm fine, sir. I've got a hard head." As if to prove this, he rapped a knuckle against the side of his head and then immediately regretted the action as pain shot through his head.

Wincing, Garnet continued. "Although, if it's all the same to you sir, I think I might take the rest of the day off."

The medic, who had so far been silent, interjected himself into the conversation. "Alright Corporal, let's get you stitched up."

He pulled the QuikClot gauze away from Garnet's head deposited it into a stainless-steel pan. The medic then cleaned the caked, dry blood from the wound, and washed away the fresh blood seeping out of the injury now that the QuikClot had been removed.

Forman looked at the Equestrians behind him, expecting to find Fluttershy reacting poorly to the sight of blood. Unbeknownst to the lieutenant, however, years of treating a wide array of injuries on animals had steeled her to the sight of blood.

Rarity, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter altogether, and had turned a sickly shade of green.

Once the medic tending to Garnet had sanitized the gash to his satisfaction, he brought out his stitches and got to work.

"You know… I can probably heal that up with a spell," Twilight offered, wincing as the medic's needle sewed together the lips of Garnet's wound.

"With… magic?" Garnet asked, nervously.

Twilight however, failed to notice his anxiety and nodded enthusiastically. "It'll only take a second, and then you'll feel good as new" she promised.

"Ooh! Say yes!" Pinkie Pie implored. "Twilight's great at magic! I remember this one time that she turned a frog into an orange!"

Garnet's eyes shot open wide. "An… orange?" Any chance that he might agree had been destroyed by that revelation, but the Ponies persisted regardless.

"Twilight does possess a particular aptitude for magic," Rarity said. Truthfully, her primary interest was to eliminate the sight of blood, and a healing spell seemed like it would suffice.

"I know that's right," Applejack agreed. "Yer lookin' at the honest-to-goodness Element of Magic; if anypony can fix ya' up, it's Twi."

"I… I don't…" Garnet stammered, looking for a way to decline without offending any of the Ponies. Getting on the bad side of a princess was something Garnet tried to avoid doing. Fortunately however, he was saved any further discomfort by the medic.

"No magic," he said, sternly. "The only treatments I'll permit are the ones that have been tried and proven by medical professionals."

Twilight was prepared to argue her case, when Lieutenant Marshall and Corporal Jackson rushed into the room.

"Jason," Marshall said to Forman. "We heard Corporal Garnet was injured by the Buffalo—''

Forman extended his arm and pointed to Garnet.

"Oh good," Marshall said, seeing that Garnet was conscious and didn't appear too badly harmed.

Jackson went over to converse with Garnet, and Marshall turned to talk with Forman. "Well, I guess all things considered, it could have been worse."

"The injury?" Forman asked, cocking his head towards Garnet.

"Not just that," Marshall replied. "We could have taken more casualties, or the Buffalo could have attacked more squads. It's been pretty much confirmed that the Buffalo are hostile, so we're going to have to see just what they'll do next." Marshall paused. "I don't like waiting, Jason."

"Yeah, I see your point," Forman said. "But at least—''

"Uhm… excuse me, Lieutenants," Twilight interrupted, who until now had been conversing amongst the other Equestrians.

Forman exchanged a brief glance with Marshall. "Yes?"

"Do either of you know where Rainbow Dash is?"

"Oh, sure. She's right…" Forman trailed off. He had been certain that she had been with Twilight and the others. "I uh… thought she was with you."

Twilight shook her head. "No."

"Well, I know she came in here; I remember seeing her come through the entrance."

"Maybe she just stepped outside for some fresh air or something," Marshall suggested.

"Maybe," Twilight repeated.

Forman shrugged. "Well, let's find out." The two lieutenants and the Mane Six, excluding Dash, exited the tent and looked about. No signs of Dash could be detected by any of them.

"Does Dash normally just take off on her own?" Forman asked.

"Well," Applejack began, "Dash is as independent as she is headstrong."

"But I don't think she'd just run off without letting anypony know," Twilight continued.

"It'd be awful dangerous; if she got hurt, nopony would know to look for her," Fluttershy concluded.

"Hm. You're right," Forman agreed. "Dash might be arrogant, cocky, and brash, but she isn't stupid; she'd know to tell at least one of you before going out alone in unfamiliar territory.

"With all that in mind though, we still don't know where she is," Marshall said.

Before anyone could answer him, a Humvee turned around a corner and came to a halt in front of the medical tent. Two men jumped out and rushed to the front rear left passenger side door where they pulled out a third man; a battered, bleeding solider.

Without saying a word, the two men rushed the third inside. Lieutenant Forman walked over to the driver side and cracked open the door so that he could speak with the driver.

"What happened?" Forman demanded. "What's going on?"

"We were attacked by Buffalo, sir," the solider explained. "We were out on patrol, and we came across a Buffalo lying on the ground. We thought he was dead and went to check." He sighed. "Obviously, that wasn't the case. That Buffalo and a few of his buddies jumped out and trampled Specialist Mitchell."

The soldier waited a moment for Lieutenant Forman to respond. "Sir," he said when it became apparent the lieutenant had nothing more to say, "I think I should move the Humvee out of the way."

"Yes, go ahead," Forman said, shaking himself out of his daze.

The Humvee drove off, and Forman turned to the rest of the group. "I think that Rainbow Dash might have to wait; we need to find Captain Becker. I have a feeling things are about to get real busy around here."

* * *

><p>Blackjack let out a contented sigh and propped his hind-hooves up on the table in front of him. He took several deep gulps of cider, before setting the mug down and surveying his recent partners in crime, looking each one in the eyes, and then let out a long chuckle.<p>

"We've done good, boys," Blackjack said. "It's just a matter of time before the Humans take care of our Buffalo problems for us."

When Blackjack thought about how his plan had been executed, it seemed that things couldn't have gone better. It had been a simple matter to lay false trails for the Humans; an imprint shaped like a Buffalo hoof and an "eyewitness" account had ensured that the Humans and Ponies thought the Buffalo had been behind the warehouse fire.

Likewise, fooling the Buffalo had been equally easy. Blackjack noticed that the Human vehicles left imprints from their tires, so he used two heavy beams dragged across the ground to replicate the marks.

The best part though, was something that Blackjack couldn't have planned on happening; it had been pure luck. The Buffalo had attacked Human soldiers, and that almost guaranteed retaliation.

"So, Jack," one of his friends asked. "How long 'till the Humans round up those Buffalo?"

Blackjack raised his hooves: a shrug. "Reckon it won't be long now. Those troops of theirs got their flanks kicked, and now their buddies'll be out for revenge."

Two of the other stallions present with Blackjack exchanged glances and shrugged.

"Well, let me know if you hear about when the Buffalo'll be coming into the camp," one of them said. "I think that's something I'd like to watch."

"Don't worry," Blackjack replied. "As soon as I hear anything, I'll let y'all know. And if the Humans are movin too slowly, we can always arrange another _accident_ to speed them up," Blackjack said, grinning malevolently.

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash tore through the skies high above the desert surrounding Appleloosa. The wind whipped her mane and tail out into a long, rainbow-colored ribbon, and her eyes watered as the air rushed over them.<p>

Each time she began to contemplate slowing down, the image of Corporal Garnet's battered and bloody face entered her mind, delivering a surge of strength, along with a rush of burning anger.

Dash wasn't exactly sure why the attack on Garnet elicited such a response from her. The corporal was merely an acquaintance of hers; she didn't know him personally. It could be because she bore the Element of Loyalty. Maybe it was the fact that Corporal Garnet had fought to defend Ponyville, and he had helped save Scootaloo. Or perhaps, she simply thought it was the right thing to do. Whatever the reason was, it urged her onward.

Squinting, Dash surveyed the ground and located her objective. The rolled into a steep bank, gritting her teeth as her wings fought against the strain that the g-forces imposed on her body. She rolled out of the turn after several long seconds and made a beeline towards her target: the Buffalo Tribe's camp.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Princess Celestia finished filing away Twilight's last message, and let out a sad sigh. It was the latest update on the situation in Appleloosa, sent by Spike only an hour ago, and things were not looking good. The Buffalo had burnt a building to the ground, and then attacked two American units, wounding two soldiers. As much as Celestia hated it, she had to face the reality that the situation in Appleloosa was rapidly deteriorating.

_Perhaps_, she thought to herself, _I should not have cautioned Captain Becker so heavily against using force._ She filed this thought away for future reference.

A knock on the door of her study interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she called to whoever was on the other side.

A tall, charcoal-gray unicorn stallion entered the room. His mane and tail were even darker than his coat; nearly pitch black. He wore the armor of the Royal Guard, but also carried a large broadsword—decidedly nonstandard armament.

"Princess Celestia." He bowed low before the ruler.

"General Broadsword; rise. Thank you for making the time to see me."

"Your wish is my command, Princess. How may I serve you?"

Princess Celestia cast a look at the documents covering her desk. "You're familiar with the current state of affairs in Appleloosa, correct?"

"Quite correct, Princess; I've been studying the updates as they become available."

"Things, I'm afraid, have suddenly become much worse. The Buffalo are mounting direct attacks against the town and against the peacekeeping forces I dispatched there with Twilight." She paused for a moment. "General, you were very keen on warning me that I should expect this from the Buffalo; I didn't listen."

The general acknowledged her but said nothing.

"I'd like for you to travel to Appleloosa and take command of the peacekeeping mission. I've made arrangements with the Americans to transport you with one of their vehicles; it will be much faster than the train."

"As you command, Princess." He dipped his head briefly.

"Excellent; thank you, General. When you arrive, locate Captain Becker; he is the commander of the American forces." She opened the door that lead to the hallway and began to walk through it, pausing halfway through.

"A helicopter is waiting for you in the South courtyard, General. You may leave whenever you're ready."

"I that case Princess, I will leave immediately."

* * *

><p>By all accounts, Chief Thunderhooves was exactly what one could expect from a Buffalo warrior. He was fearless, courageous, and fiercely loyal to his tribe. One of the qualities that made him an excellent battlefield leader was his ability to maintain composure when something totally unexpected happened. However, there weren't many individuals in Equestria who could effectively maintain composure when faced by an angry Pegasus who appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and Thunderhooves was not one of them. It was therefore needless to say that he was startled when Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared in front of him.<p>

"Whoa! Wha—!" Thunderhooves exclaimed as the dust settled around Dash. He took him only a second to recognize her, and barely a second more to recognize she was very angry about something. In fact, it might have just been him, but her eyes seemed to have a redder tint than normal.

Still, startling as her sudden appearance may be, Dash had proven herself sympathetic to the Buffalo before. Thunderhooves decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, despite the hostilities with the Ponies.

"Rainbow Dash," Thunderhooves said, after collecting his nerves. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I dunno' Chief," Dash said, venomously. "Guess that depends on if you're the one who had those Humans attacked."

"The Humans." Disappointment was evident in the Buffalo Chief's words; if Dash was concerned about the ambushed soldiers, it was likely she was not on the Buffalo's side after all.

"Yes, I had them attacked. I had every right to; they were in our camp." There was no point in denying it, and no honor. Thunderhooves would no lie, even if it cost him an ally. _Lying_, Thunderhooves thought, _is for the Appleloosans._

Dash reared her head back, a sneer of disgust forming on her lips. It was simple to imagine one of her friends in Corporal Garnet's place; bloodied and injured by a Buffalo sneak-attack. It was especially easy to imagine one of her Human friends would be hurt in a similar attack, considering they were most likely to be exposed to combat.

There was no denying Dash was furious, but through her raw rage she felt another feeling begun to surface: sadness. She had considered the Buffalo her friends and felt personally betrayed by recent events. Events such as the warehouse that bad been destroyed, and Dash thought these events over her sadness only served to fuel the fires of anger burning inside her.

"I guess that was your plan all along then," Dash hissed. "You burned down that feed warehouse to get the Humans into your camp so you could attack them."

Thunderhooves frowned, confused. He had attacked the Humans; that was true. However, he had no idea what Dash was talking about when she mentioned a destroyed warehouse. "I didn't order a warehouse destroyed. In fact, the only food I know to have been destroyed was _our_ stock, burned by the Humans."

"What?! The Humans wouldn't do that sort of thing!"

"We found the tracks their machine's make," Thunderhooves replied.

"They wouldn't do that," she repeated, shaking her head. "I didn't see any Human soldiers sneaking off in one of their vehicles."

"Surely you can't watch all of them at all times. Besides, who else could it have been? Only Human vehicles make tracks like the ones we found. There's no other explanation; the Humans destroyed our supply of food, thereby committing an act of war against the Buffalo!" Without realizing it, Thunderhooves bellowed these last words.

Thunderhooves looked about and saw other warriors converging on his location. Some of them carried weapons, and all of them were glaring at Rainbow Dash. A Pegasus, Thunderhooves realized, would not be welcome in his tribe; even one who had sympathized with them in the past.

"You should leave now, Rainbow Dash," Thunderhooves warned. "There's no place for you here among Buffalo." He turned his back on her, terminating the conversation.

Dash looked around her and saw the Buffalo crowding around her vicinity. Thunderhooves was right; the Buffalo did not look welcoming. She spread her wings and took to the skies, vanishing from the Buffalo tribe in a flash.

* * *

><p>Twilight glanced out the window for the tenth time that minute, and then quickly returned her gaze to Captain Becker. The captain was talking about something, but if asked to repeat any of what he had said Twilight would be unable; all her attention was focused on worrying about Rainbow Dash.<p>

Twilight looked towards the window again, knowing that all good logic and reason indicated she would not see her friend but daring to hope, nonetheless. Much to her surprise and joy, she caught a glimpse of rainbow streaking across the sky.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight exclaimed, smiling widely as relief washed over her.

"Uh… come again?" Captain Becker asked.

"I saw Rainbow Dash! She's headed this way!" Before anything more could be said, Twilight hopped up and was out the door.

A moment of awkward silence passed before the room was filled with the sound of chairs rubbing against the floor as they scooted back from desks, and hooves and boots running across the room.

One Alicorn, one Unicorn, one Pegasus and two Earth Ponies skidded to a halt outside the town hall, along with three Humans bringing up the rear.

"Do you see her?"

"Where is it?"

"You sure you saw 'er, Twi?"

"Look! Right there!" Lieutenant Forman pointed.

Rainbow Dash was descended vertically down onto a spot ten meters away from where the group stood. The corners of her mouth were pulled into a frown, and she barely glanced at her friends as they approached her.

The group paused, except for Twilight, who drew closer to Rainbow Dash.

"Dash? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dash replied. "I just… need to be alone right now."

Dash trotted off towards the inn which housed her room and the others watched her leave. Once she was out of earshot, Lieutenant Marshall turned to Lieutenant Forman.

"Where do you think she went?"

"With her acting like that, my best guess is that she went to see some of her friends at the Buffalo tribe."

"And…?"

Forman shrugged. "She didn't like what she found."

* * *

><p><em>Thud!<em>

_Thud!_

_Thud!_

Captain Becker looked up from the map sprawled out on his desk, and saw Lieutenant Marshall entertaining himself by bouncing a bright-red rubber ball against the floor of the makeshift meeting room. He, Lieutenant Marshall, and Lieutenant were the only ones in the room. After Rainbow Dash's return, the others had gone their separate ways.

"Marshall… where did you get that?"

"This, sir?" Marshall held up the bright-red ball. "I got it off Pinkie."

_Of course_, Becker thought. _Where else?_

"Captain," Forman began, "if I'm not needed here…"

Becker nodded. "Dismissed, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir." Forman stood up and left the room.

_Thud!_

_Thud!_

_Thud!_

"Marshall, put that up for a minute. C'mere; I want you to take a look at something."

Marshall stowed the ball away in one of his cargo pockets, sprung onto his feat, and walked over to where Captain Becker stood over his desk.

"Now Lieutenant, do you remember—'' Captain Becker cut off abruptly as the sound of multiple hooves rung out against the wooden floors. A second or so later, two Unicorns wearing the armor of the Royal Guard stepped into the room.

Becker and Marshall exchanged glances briefly. "Excuse me, can I help you gentle—''

"Presenting," one of them bellowed, interrupting the captain, "the Honorable General Broadsword!"

Captain Becker was decidedly unimpressed by this grand announcement. "_Who?_"

A stallion entered the room and surveyed its contents, his eyes coming to rest on Captain Becker and Lieutenant Marshall. No introductions we made, and none necessary; this was undoubtedly General Broadsword.

"I am General Broadsword," he regally declared, upon reaching Becker's desk.

"So I gathered," Becker replied, still fairly confused. "Is there something I can do for you, General?"

"I'm here to take command of peacekeeping efforts in Appleloosa; Princess Celestia herself dispatched me."

Marshall exchanged glances with Becker. "Why you in particular?" he asked.

The general swiveled his gaze over to the lieutenant. For a moment, Captain Becker was unsure if General Broadsword was going to answer Lieutenant Marshall's question, or draw his sword and try to run him through.

"I've read some reports about American soldiers," the general said at last, "they frequently mention that Captain Becker has two lieutenants he likes to keep close on-hand; Forman and Marshall. Who are you?"

"I'm Marshall, General," the lieutenant replied, and gestured to his name-tape with his thumb.

"To answer your question, Lieutenant Marshall," Broadsword said, "Princess Celestia selected me because I warned her on several occasions that the Buffalo aggressive creatures likely to attack Appleloosa. She favored peace over my plans, although now that the Buffalo are engaged in open hostilities with us her mind has changed."

He walked over to a nearby window and peered out of it, as if trying to catch a glimpse of his foe. "I predicted this of course, and made it a point to familiarize myself with the tactics and military history of the Buffalo Tribe."

"Well General, I'm glad you know your stuff," Becker began. "I'm sure you'll prove invaluable when we start planning our defenses."

"Thank you, Captain, although planning will not be necessary. I've already formulated plans for defensive and offensive operations. Additionally, I would like to catalog your own provisions; particularly your armament."

Becker shrugged. "We've got it all accounted for, if you'd care to take a look at the manifest."

However, Broadsword shook his head. "I wish to inspect it personally. Instruct your troops to consolidate your supplies and armaments into one location, and appropriate a guide to advise me on their capabilities. I will inspect your cache as soon as time permits."

Captain Becker hesitated. He did his best to avoid keeping all of his ammunition, weapons, and food stored together in the same area; it was never a good idea, he thought, to keep all your eggs in one basket. "General, I really think—''

"Captain, I understand you may have your own way of doing things. However, if you wish to remain a part of this operation you will have to accept that I am your superior. Now,"—Broadsword locked eyes with Becker—"I wish to inspect your cache; consolidate your supplies and appropriate a guide."

Seeing no alternative, Becker relented. "Yes, General."

"Excellent. If you'll excuse me Captain, I've matters to attend to elsewhere." The General and his two Guards left the room, plunging it back into silence.

After a while, Lieutenant Marshall spoke up. "What was _that_, sir?"

"That, Lieutenant," Becker replied, "was trouble."

* * *

><p>Dash had been lying atop her bed when she heard three sharp knocks against her door. She frowned and sat up; she hadn't been expecting any visitors.<p>

"Come in," Dash called.

The door opened and in walked Lieutenant Forman.

"Dash, are you alright?" he asked gingerly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, flopping down on the bed.

"Good," Forman replied, shutting the door. He spoke again, maintaining the same soft tone. "In that case, maybe you'd mind telling me just what the hell you thought you were doing?"

One of her ears cupped toward him and she glanced sideways at him. "Come again?"

"Maybe," Forman repeated, "you'd care to explain why you thought running off to the Buffalo camp _on your own_ was a good idea."

Dash sighed and closed her eyes. "Look Forman, I get that you're the _procedures and rules_ type of guy, but believe me—I know what I'm doing."

"No Dash,"—Forman shook his head—"you don't. But you think you do, and that's what scares me."

The only indication that Dash had heard Forman was a dismissive snort.

Lieutenant Forman frowned and continued further. "Let me tell you a story, Dash." He pulled up a chair next to her bed. "A true story, about someone else who _knew what they were doing_."

She turned her heard and looked at him, silently instructing the lieutenant to proceed.

"This happened a few years ago in Syria," Forman said as he sat down. "The U.S. went in to put down a massive insurgency. One night, two platoons—each one commanded by a lieutenant—went out on patrol. They're keeping about one-hundred-fifty meters between each other.

"Ah hour or so into the patrol, the first platoon takes contact and the platoon sergeant is hit and killed. Before the second platoon can help them they come under attack as well. During the firefight, the first platoon's lieutenant is killed, so now they've got no platoon sergeant, and no lieutenant.

"The second platoon fared better; they've still got their leadership. So, the green second lieutenant commanding the platoon decides he needs to get over to the first platoons position and help them get organized. So he tells his platoon sergeant to take charge, and does something he's never supposed to do; he goes out alone.

"_It's only a hundred-fifty meters_, he had thought. _What's the worst that could happen?_ But about halfway through those short hundred-fifty meters, he's hit in the leg." Forman slapped his leg, simulating a bullet strike.

"The bullet missed the artery, but he still collapses and starts bleeding out in the sand. To make matters worse, he's still taking fire. He's got no one to cover him, no one to move him to safety, no one to treat his wound. All this"—Forman leaned forward—"because he knew exactly what he was doing."

"So uh… what happened?" Dash wondered.

Forman straightened back up in his chair. "A staff sergeant followed him thirty-or-so meters back without his knowing; he got him back to his platoon's position. The lieutenant survived, made a full recovery, eventually received a promotion to first lieutenant, and went on to warn his idiot friend about making the same mistake."

Dash's eyes widened. "Wait a second—!"

Forman interrupted her. "Dash, this place has a very good change of turning into a war zone. Going off anywhere without buddy is not something you do, but especially not to the enemy camp."

He stood up and made his way to the door. "I'll leave you with that. Be careful, Dash."

With that, he exited the room.

* * *

><p>"Chief Thunderhooves!"<p>

Thunderhooves turned his head towards the sound of his name being called, and saw two scouts rushing towards him.

They skidded to a halt, both of them breathing hard as they caught their breath. Both had sprinted from a point along the Pony's railroad tracks where they were keeping an eye on the comings and goings of trains. The Human patrols around Appleloosa made it difficult to sneak close enough to the train station to watch arriving trains, so the Buffalo had resorted to posting scouts along the railroad, far outside the areas that the Human security patrols operated. Finally, one recovered well enough to speak.

"Chief, a train came by on the tracks a short time ago; it was shorter than usual, and the cars had Canterlot markings on them!"

Thunderhooves hesitated, uncomfortable. "Canterlot markings? You are certain?"

"Yes Chief," the Buffalo nodded. "I memorized the design; Canterlot for sure."

Chief Thunderhooves knew this could be trouble; there was a good chance that troops from Canterlot had been dispatched to reinforce Appleloosa. The Buffalo currently had numerical superiority against the American soldiers guarding the town, but if Canterlot had added its forces to the mix then the Buffalo would be both outnumbered in addition to being hopelessly outclassed by Human weaponry. Thunderhooves knew that the Buffalo were to emerge victorious he would need eliminate one of these advantages. For that he required more information.

"Little Strongheart!" He summoned his daughter.

"Father?" she answered, trotting out of a close by teepee.

"Little Strongheart." He took a deep breath; what he was about to ask of her was extremely dangerous, but he felt confident she would succeed. "I need you to go to Appleloosa and collect information. Look for troop numbers and where provisions are stored; without this knowledge, the Buffalo tribe may be doomed."

Strongheart gulped, but nodded. She knew how risky the task ahead of her way but she also understood its necessity. And while she certainly didn't want to have to go behind enemy lines, it wasn't really about what she wanted—it was about what was good for the tribe.

"Yes Father, I'll do it."

"I knew you would," Thunderhooves replied. What really made her good for this was her size; she was quick, agile, and a much smaller target than the standard Buffalo warrior.

Her preparations would begin immediately, although she wouldn't leave until early the following morning. Daylight would be necessary so she could pick out details about the forces in Appleloosa, and because experience taught the Buffalo that sentries were more likely to be relaxed in the morning, after the dark dangers of night had passed.

* * *

><p>"Alright, we got all our equipment consolidated," Corporal Jackson said, staring at rows of boxes of food and ammunition, crates of weapons, and drums of fuel and water. "So where's that jackass general who ordered this?"<p>

"I heard from Captain Becker that he didn't specify when he'd complete his inspection," said a specialist. "He just said that it'd be whenever he was ready."

"Well that's just wonderful," Jackson grumbled. "While he's off touting about that stupid sword of his, all our supplies are sitting here in a great heaping pile, totally exposed."

"The broadsword actually is a fairly effective weapon," the specialist replied, intentionally missing the point.

"That isn't the point!" Jackson looked the specialist in the eyes. "I can tell you Captain Becker isn't happy about this."

"He told you?"

"He didn't need to; it's obvious he doesn't like the idea of putting all our stuff in a vulnerable position like this."

The specialist shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But… think about it; our enemies are hundreds of years behind us in terms of weaponry, we've got drones up in the air, ASVs out on perimeter patrol, snipers on the roofs; I think we'll be okay."

"Yeah, maybe. I still don't like it—makes me uneasy."

"C'mon man, what's the worst that could happen?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_Knock, knock, knock! _

Twilight looked up from the book on her desk, and towards the closed door.

"Just a moment!" she called, wondering who it could be.

She trotted over to the door and cast a spell to open it. The wooden door swung open revealing three Ponies dressed in Royal Guard armor.

"Uhm… can I help you?" She hadn't been expecting any Royal Guards.

"Princess," said the one in the lead, "I am General Broadsword." He bowed before her.

Twilight raised a hoof to scratch her chin and stared off into space. Broadsword: that name sounded familiar. "Yes, I think I've heard of you."

Twilight glanced back towards the general, who was still bowing.

"Uh, you can rise anytime you like, General."

"Thank you, Princess," Broadsword said, standing back up.

"So, General," Twilight said, trotting back over to her desk. "Is there something I can help you with?"

He shook his head. "I'm here to help _you_, Princess."

"Help me?"

Broadsword elaborated. "Princess Celestia has sent me to take charge of the peacekeeping mission. Captain Becker has proved… unsuccessful, it seems."

"What do you mean by _that_?!" Twilight asked defensively.

"Only that Princess Celestia thought it would be best for somepony with more knowledge of the Buffalo to lead this mission," Broadsword replied quickly. He would have to remember that Captain Becker seemed to be favored by Princess Twilight.

Twilight visibly relaxed, but said nothing in reply.

"I will be inspecting the town later today to discover its strengths and weaknesses," Broadsword reported.

"Well… good luck with that," Twilight replied, looking down at her book.

"Thank you," he replied sternly.

Twilight waited a few seconds, expecting to hear hooves against the floor as Broadsword made his way towards the exit. Instead, she heard absolutely nothing and glanced up from her book.

General Broadsword was still standing at attention in front of her desk.

Twilight let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "You can go now, General."

"Yes, Princess," he replied sharply before bowing once more and making his way out the door.

Twilight shook her head. She was never going to get used to this _princess_ stuff.

* * *

><p>Chief Thunderhooves intently listened to his daughters report. It seemed that the Humans had amassed all their supplies into one location for reasons unknown. This provided Thunderhooves with an unexpected weakness to exploit, but how to go about doing it?<p>

Thunderhooves pondered this, silent and unmoving. Slowly an idea wormed its way into his mind; vague at first, but with a little mental refining he worked it into a plan—a battle plan. Thunderhooves smiled grimly; if this worked, he could wipe out the Humans supplies and render them totally useless.

* * *

><p>"What's this?"<p>

"A recoilless rifle, General."

General Broadsword was conducting his inspection of the American equipment, guided by Corporal Jackson.

"What's this?"

Jackson winced; that seemed to be General Broadsword's new favorite question and it was getting old real fast. "A mortar."

"What's this?"

"A fragmentation grenade, General—please don't touch it!"

Broadsword set the grenade back down and continued marching forward amongst the supplies.

"So, General," Jackson began, hoping to find some way of taking the generals attention off the weaponry, "why do they call you Broadsword? Is that your actual name, or do they just call you that because of… you know, your sword?"

Broadsword's eyes took on a crazed, murderous glare and he grinned madly at Jackson, who took a half step backwards.

"So, you want to know how I got my name."

"Actually," Jackson gulped, "I think I'm good. Forget I even asked."

As Jackson guided Broadsword along his inspection, Captain Becker and Lieutenant Forman watched from the Captain's second-story office.

"Mark says this guy showed up talking about taking control of the operation," Forman said.

Becker nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

"Did he say why?"

The captain shrugged. "Something about Celestia thinking he'd have more knowledge on how to fight the Buffalo."

"Speaking of, sir, why aren't we fighting them?"

Captain Becker glanced at Forman. "Lieutenant?"

"Well… we've been attacked by them twice, but we really haven't responded to either attack."

"And it seems to you that we could probably defeat them in a matter of minutes if we'd just take some men and confront them directly?" Becker guessed.

"Yes—something like that, sir."

Captain Becker returned his gaze to Broadsword and Jackson. "The thought's crossed my mind, Lieutenant. But I don't like the idea of directly attacking a tribe of natives whose weapons technology is hundreds of years behind our own; not until they pose a serious threat."

"What constitutes as a serious threat, sir?"

Before Captain Becker could answer, there was a knock at the door. A second later it opened and Lieutenant Marshall walked through.

"Yes, Lieutenant Marshall?" Becker asked.

"Captain, one of our UAVs is tracking a large concentration of Buffalo seventeen kilometers away from here. They look like they're staging for something, sir; could be an attack."

Captain Becker sighed and looked over at Forman. "I guess _this_ constitutes a serious threat. Forman, Marshall, the two of you take some troops out there and investigate. Don't provoke them, but you're clear to engage if need be."

"Yes, sir." Forman said. "Captain, shouldn't you let General Broadsword know about this? I mean… he is in charge of the mission."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Becker replied, "I'll deal with him. Now, go and find out what the Buffalo are doing."

* * *

><p>Four Bradley M2A4 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, a heavily upgraded variant of the original M2 Bradley, left Appleloosa traveling together in a single-file column. Lieutenant Forman and Lieutenant Marshall occupied the first vehicle, where Forman was watching a live camera feed from the UAV observing the Buffalo concentration.<p>

"How's it look, Jason?"

Forman narrowed his eyes at the grainy image displayed on the screen. "There's a lot of 'em… but it doesn't really look like they're up to anything—just milling around."

"So, how do you want to play this?"

Forman shrugged. "Find someplace to watch 'em, and make sure they don't advance towards Appleloosa. If they do, we open fire and call for air support."

"Sounds straightforward; I like it."

The rest of the ride was spent mostly in silence. The four vehicles came to rest atop a hill overlooking the massed Buffalo, and the soldiers dismounted and set up a small perimeter.

Lieutenant Forman gazed down at them through a pair of binoculars, looking for any signs of a leader, weapons, or anything else that might be important. The Buffalo returned his gaze, glowering at the infantry and armored vehicles sent to watch them.

Other than sullen glances though, nothing the Buffalo did could really be considered hostile. They seemed content to linger about in their large group with no real sense of direction.

In fact, it was unsettling; eerie even. The soldiers kept expecting something, bracing themselves for an assault they were sure was coming.

However, not the slightest indication of an attack was ever seen within the ranks of the Buffalo.

"This to too damn weird; they've gotta' be up to _something_," Marshall exclaimed after nearly thirty minutes of inactivity.

"If they are, we'll put a stop to it," Forman replied, perfectly confident in the ability of his soldiers and their weaponry.

"Lieutenant Forman!"

Both lieutenants turned around and saw an IFV crewman poking his head out of his vehicle.

"Yes?"

"Sir, I'm receiving a message from Captain Becker; they just found another concentration of Buffalo, this one about twenty kilometers from Appleloosa. He's sending some men to investigate and wants us to be aware."

"Thank you; tell him we acknowledge."

"Yes, sir."

"_More_ Buffalo?" Marshall shook his head in disbelief.

"Maybe it's some sort of tradition?" Forman suggested.

"What sorta' stupid tradition involves—''

"Lieutenant!" It was the IFV crewman again. "Sir, they just found _another _mass of Buffalo. And—good God! A Predator just found even more! How many of 'em are out here?!"

"You know, Mark, I think you're right." Forman raised the binoculars back to his eyes and observed the Buffalo. "They're up to something; the question is _what_?"

* * *

><p>Twilight Sparkle stepped outside of the inn and found absolute chaos. Vehicles drove up and down the road as soldiers scrambled towards the American staging area.<p>

All the sounds melded together into a discordant melody, which was quite possible the loudest sound Twilight had ever heard. So loud she could fell the ground shaking.

Twilight glanced up and saw a pair of helicopters flying low to the ground. The inn vibrated as they passed overhead, and for a second Twilight was certain the old building would collapse.

"What the hay is goin' on out here?"

Twilight saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash making their way towards her.

"It's nosier than… I don't even know!" Applejack lacked the appropriate simile to describe the situation.

"We need to find Captain Becker! He'll know what's going on!" Twilight called out over the noise.

"Well, we won't have to go far," Dash replied. "He's right over there!"

Twilight and Applejack looked and saw Captain Becker emerging from Town Hall, followed by General Broadsword. They rushed over to him, and he didn't even notice them until they stood less than a meter away.

"Captain! What's going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Broadsword roared. "The Buffalo have surrounded the town in preparation for an assault!"

Dash, Applejack, and Twilight all gasped in shock. Captain Becker however, shook his head.

"We don't know that for sure yet."

"They've stationed forces all around Appleloosa! What else could it be?"

"That's what we're going to find out, General; if they're preparing to attack, then we'll already have blocking positions in place to repel them."

Broadsword grumbled and Captain Becker flagged down a truck. General Broadsword boarded it after it stopped next to them.

Twilight started forward. "So, Captain, what _exactly_ is happening?"

"We're still not sure." He strapped his helmet onto his head.

"There's nothing to worry about, though." He chambered a round into his rifle, and then did the same for his pistol.

"We'll all be fine." He quickly checked the magazines on his vest, and then hopped into the truck.

"Wait! We're coming with you!"

"Sorry," Becker called as the truck began to move. "No room!"

With a roar, the truck picked up speed and drove towards the make-shift airfield.

"Twilight!"

Twilight saw Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy galloping—bouncing, in Pinkie's case, towards her.

"What's happened, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"We heard all this noise and saw the Humans running around," Fluttershy added.

"Are they headed for a huge party? _Without us_?!" Pinkie demanded.

"No girls," Twilight replied. "It's something to do with the Buffalo."

"The Buffalo? Oh my… I hope nopony was hurt," Fluttershy said.

Twilight watched Captain Becker's V-22 lift off, escorted by an AH-64F Apache attack helicopter. "I'm not sure it's Ponies we need to worry about."

* * *

><p>"What the hell are they up to?" Captain Becker wondered aloud. Twenty minutes ago he had touched down and so far neither he nor General Broadsword, the Buffalo tactics expert, been able to discern why the Buffalo had grouped together.<p>

"Does it matter, Captain? We have the offensive superiority; why not simply force them to disperse?" General Broadsword said.

"That doesn't exactly seem consistent with a peace keeping mission, does it?"

"They've demonstrated their willingness to attack; I don't see why you insist on being so patient with them."

"Because, General, I don't want to get involved in a counterinsurgency campaign."

A pair of Apaches flew over the Buffalo, who didn't even glance up at them. Now that Becker and his men had been here for some time, the Buffalo didn't even seem to register their presence. It was eerily calm, and some soldiers began to suspect they had walked straight into an ambush. But minute after minute passed by without any incident.

Suddenly though, without any warning, all the Buffalo stopped abruptly. They turned to face away from the Humans, and sprinted full-speed away.

"They're getting away!" Broadsword cried.

"They aren't _getting away_, General; they're leaving."

Radio reported the same thing was happening elsewhere, as if some unseen signal gone out to the Buffalo that their work was done.

Captain Becker turned to one of his men and issued orders regarding what soldiers that he wanted helicoptered in from their position, to his.

When he was finished with that, he looked at General Broadsword.

"So, General. Was that anything like you've heard about the Buffalo doing?"

Broadsword looked mildly uncomfortable, shifting his weight from side to side. "This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this," he admitted.

"Well… they're gone now, at least." That should have made Becker feel better, but he couldn't shake the sensation that something was wrong. _It'll go away eventually_, he thought.

But when the helicopters carrying his men in from the other positions touched down, the captain still felt something had been off about the encounter. It made no sense to expose one's self to attack for several hours just to run off. _Maybe someone else saw something helpful_.

"Captain," Lieutenant Forman greeted.

"Lieutenant," Becker returned the greeting. "Tell me what you saw."

Forman and Marshall exchanged glances.

"Well, sir, basically we saw a bunch of Buffalo crowded together for a few hours, and then they all ran off at one time."

Becker looked at Marshall for confirmation.

"That basically sums it up, sir," Lieutenant Marshall nodded.

"What really interests me," Sergeant Major Erik said, "is how they all left at once. That had to have been a coordinated maneuver."

"Do you think that might be what all this was?" asked Second Lieutenant Covey. "One big military exercise to show off to us that they can coordinate maneuvers?"

"It could be," Captain Becker replied. "The real question is how do they do it?"

The men thought it over for a few moments.

"Maybe they use the sun?" Forman suggested. "Different phases of their operation could be planned around different times of the day. If they can use the sun to tell time, they could also use it to tell them when to begin a new phase."

Captain Becker looked at the setting sun which was dipping below a cluster of hills, and then at General Broadsword, who had been listening but saying nothing.

"What do you think, General? Could the Buffalo pull that off?"

Broadsword thought about it. "I've never heard of the Buffalo coordinating a massive military maneuver—but then again, they've never had to fight against a professional army. It's possible I suppose, depending on the ingenuity of their commander."

"Forman, you met with their chief; what do you think?" Becker asked.

Lieutenant Forman shrugged. "Hard to say. I'm sure he's not an idiot, but I don't know if Thunderhooves is an innovative military tactician."

"We shouldn't rule it out, though," Lieutenant Covey said.

Just then, they were interrupted by a soldier.

"Captain, the helicopters report they're low on fuel. They're returning to base, sir."

"Alright; thank you, Corporal," Becker replied.

There had been helicopters in the air as soon as a second concentration of Buffalo had been spotted. Since then the aircraft had been flying nonstop, looking for signs of more Buffalo.

Captain Becker and the others heard helicopters zipping by them overhead.

"There they go."

"You don't think they were waiting for our air support to leave before deciding to attack us, do you?" Covey asked nervously. He hadn't realized it, but the familiar sound of helicopter rotors had provided a feeling of security. It was a sound he could associate with friendly forces, and a sound that was no longer present.

Forman shook his head. "I doubt they understand the significance of air power."

Captain Becker opened his mouth, about to say something. He never did, though. Because at that exact moment, he heard what sounded like a hundred artillery batteries firing in the distance.

* * *

><p>After Captain Becker left to check on the Buffalo, the Mane Six had contented themselves to remaining in their rooms—save for Pinkie Pie, who decided instead to try and cheer up Corporal Garnet and Specialist Mitchell, both of whom were recovering in the infirmary.<p>

The hours had passed by slowly. It was fast approaching dusk, and the sun was a big orange ball hovering just above the horizon. Aside from the Americans rushing out to investigate Buffalo activity, Twilight marked the day off as rather uneventful.

And then Twilight felt her entire world rocked by a massive, deafening explosion.

The wooden inn shook violently, knocking decorations off the wall and dislodging dust from crevices Twilight hadn't even known had existed. A light flashed outside. Twilight got up on her four hooves and ran out of her room.

Rainbow Dash was standing in the hallway, looking just as shocked as Twilight.

"Dash! Do you know what's happening?" Twilight asked. Or at least that's what she thought she said; it was hard to tell with her ears ringing.

Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy emerged from their rooms and were no more successful at communicating with each other. Nevertheless, they managed to come to a unanimous, silent agreement to run outside and find out just what was happening.

A massive fire was ablaze where the American supplies had once been. A column of pitch-black smoke rose high into the sky above it. Burning debris rained from the sky, and Ponies ran away from the inferno in a panic.

The few U.S. soldiers who had remained behind were running opposite the fleeing Ponies. The Mane Six joined in behind them, pushing through the crowd.

Several of the soldiers ran over to where the remains of the infirmary tent, where Pinkie Pie was emerging along with Corporal Garnet and Specialist Mitchell. One was shouting into a radio. The rest went to check for wounded around the site of the explosion.

"We should split up and look for anypony who might've got hurt!" Twilight yelled. The ringing in their years had died down just to the point they could barely hear each other.

While searching, Rainbow Dash noticed a quick, dart-like movement out of the corner of her eye. Her head snapped around, and some one-hundred meters away she was able to make out the figure of a Buffalo. A small, familiar-looking Buffalo.

Little Strongheart.

"Dash! Over here!"

Dash heard somepony calling her, but she didn't respond. She looked at Strongheart, who looked back at her.

"Dash! Help!"

Strongheart broke eye-contact and disappeared. Only then did Dash turn to look for who had been calling her.

Applejack was knelt down beside an unconscious Human soldier, who was pinned to the ground underneath a pile of debris.

"Get yer' hears outta' the clouds, girl; I need you!"

Rainbow Dash rushed over to her friend and picked the rubble up off the soldier as Applejack dragged him, gear and all, out from under it.

Two of his buddies came by to pick him up and take him to where a medic was tending to the injured.

Applejack sighed as the man was carried off. "What in tarnation happened here, Dash?"

The question hadn't really been posed to Dash; Applejack was merely wondering aloud. She was surprised, therefore, when Rainbow Dash opened her mouth as if she was going to answer, and then closed it before sulking off.

Applejack tilted her head, confused. "Was it somethin' I said?"

* * *

><p>"What the hell was that?!" Forman exclaimed as they turned their heads towards the sound of the explosion.<p>

"Something very big just blew up," Marshall replied.

"Something like our supply depot," Becker added, getting on the radio.

"Maul-Two, this is Sabre Actual—gimmi' a SITREP, over!"

A few seconds the radio chirped as a reply came through.

_"__Sabre, Maul-Two—the supply depot has been destroyed! I say again—the supply depot has been destroyed!"_

"Copy; are you under attack?

_"__Unclear at this time, sir!"_—the soldier broke out into a fit of coughing_—"We have not been engaged, over."_

Becker shook his head. "Sabre copies; out."

"We just lost our supplies," the Captain reported, rather needlessly; they had all heard the radio report, after all.

"The Buffalo! It has to be!" Broadsword shouted.

"Maybe," Becker replied. "The important thing is we get everyone back to the town. And since the helicopter's resupply fuel is burning right now, it looks like we're going to be riding ground transport back."

"Do we have enough room, sir?" Lieutenant Marshall asked. Many of the soldiers had been airlifted in; it didn't look like there would be enough IFVs and APCs to seat everyone.

"We'll _make_ enough room, Lieutenant."

At Captain Becker's command, all soldiers at all positions mounted up onto their vehicles. When the seats ran out, soldiers climbed onto the roof of the transport and rode there. It wasn't ideal, but it beat walking.

The burning fire was visible against the night sky from miles away, thought it had died down considerably. As the Americans drew closer they began to wonder if the entire town might catch fire. Ultimately, it would not. Not all citizens escaped unscathed, however; many homes had been destroyed by the fire, and these Ponies were slumped in the streets as the U.S. vehicles rolled back into the town.

They stopped along the main road and the occupants, both riding inside and outside the vehicles, dismounted. The street was bathed in light from their headlights and from the raging fire.

"Well sir, it doesn't look like there are any Buffalo around," Forman remarked. "We have that going for us, at least."

"No Buffalo around _yet_, Lieutenant," Becker replied. "Stay alert."

"There y'all are!"

Turning, they saw the Mane Six trudging their way over to them.

"What happened here?" Becker asked.

Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow and glanced at the fire. "Uhh…explosion, big fire, lotta' smoke."

"Sir, we have to run a damage assessment," Forman said to Captain Becker.

"Yes we do, Lieutenant. And something tells me I'm not going to like it."

* * *

><p>"So. What's the good news?"<p>

"All the supplies are gone, sir. Fuel, ammunition, food, everything."

"Well, that certainly is good news," Captain Becker said sarcastically, before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh. "What about damage to the local environment?"

"Six houses destroyed. I estimate another fifteen damaged," Lieutenant Forman reported.

Becker didn't reply, and silence filled the room.

"Are we thinking Buffalo are behind this, sir?"

"It would make sense, Lieutenant. They diverted most of our attention away from the town, then moved in and blew up our depot. All they'd need to get a fire going would be a torch and some lamp-oil—there's plenty to burn after a flame gets started."

Captain Becker shook his head in disbelief. The most advanced fighting-force to ever set foot in Equestria had just been outsmarted by a Buffalo tribe. The same tribe Becker himself had written off as low-threat. He mentally smacked himself; it never did to underestimate an enemy.

"Just what do we have, Lieutenant?"

"Only what we carried on our bodies and had stored in vehicles, sir."

"Not a lot then," said Becker, dismally.

Just then his door flew open.

"Captain!" Lieutenant Covey said, barging in.

"Covey? What's wrong?"

"A foot-patrol spotted some Buffalo near a section of railroad tracks. They ran off before our troops could engage them, but they managed to damage the tracks, sir."

This caught Becker's attention. "Damage the tracks? How badly?"

"Bad enough that the tracks would need repair before the train could be used, sir."

"Why would they destroy the train-tracks?" Forman asked. "They want the settlers gone, and it isn't as if these ponies can just walk back to the nearest town."

While most would agree this was bad news, anyone who could read between the lines would regard it as nothing less than sinister. Captain Becker knew that the Buffalo didn't want either the settlers, or the Humans in their territory. Yet, destroying the train tracks meant they couldn't leave. Or, more accurately, couldn't escape.

"Because, Lieutenant Forman. Letting us leave is no longer a courtesy available to us."


	17. Chapter 17

**Authors note: **Be advised that there is a battle scene in this chapter.

**Chapter 17**

"So, let me get this straight. You think that the Buffalo blew up your supplies, and destroyed the railroad because they're going to—"

"To kill us, Princess; yes."

Captain Becker interrupted Twilight, who he had been briefing on his rather bleak theory.

Twilight sighed, and shook her head. "Captain, I appreciate that you're a well-trained soldier, and that you've got considerably more experience in these matters than I do, but… killing us? That seems rather extreme."

The two were alone in Twilight's study—the same one that General Broadsword had visited her in the previous day. The same day that the Buffalo had managed to destroy most of the supplies the Humans had brought to support their peacekeeping operation, which, if Captain Becker was correct, was about to go from peacekeeping, to the fight of their lives.

"Have you ever heard the saying _desperate times call for desperate_ _measures_, Princess?"

Twilight nodded.

"That basically sums up the Buffalo's position," he continued. "You think what they're planning in extreme—and you're right. But they only way they can accomplish their goals are to go to such extremes."

"But… why? I don't understand."

"You're smart, Twilight—think about it. We came in here with technology the Buffalo hadn't even seen; weapons they haven't even conceived possible yet. And all that advanced weaponry only served to protect Appleloosa.

"Oh sure, we were here to keep peace, but our base of operations and all our troops are stationed here in Appleloosa. If the Buffalo were to attack the town, there's no doubt that we'd retaliate. But if some Appleloosans were to sneak off and attack their tribe, the Buffalo would be left to fend for themselves.

"The Buffalo want the settlers gone, but they can't force them out as long as we're defending them. So, they decided to destroy our supply depot, thinking it would limit our combat capabilities. And they were right; we have much less fuel and ammunition."

Becker shrugged. "It really is that simple."

Twilight processed this information.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you're saying they're going to… kill us. They could just force us all to leave, couldn't they?"

"They're going to kill us to make an example," Becker said. "Ponies are less likely to try and re-settle the area if the last ones were massacred."

"Won't your military retaliate if we're killed?" Twilight asked. "If your advanced technology was keeping the Buffalo at bay before, then they wouldn't want to provoke your country into attacking, right?"

Captain Becker nodded. "Sure, there'll be a retaliation. We'll be back with helicopters, troops, tanks, jets, damn near everything. The problem is that the Buffalo know this terrain well; they'll be able to hide from us. We'll win a few minor engagements, leave, and then never return. The Buffalo will be free of Equestrians, and Americans."

Twilight shook her head. "They'd kill an entire town to be rid of us."

"Princes, to you this place is just a town; an Equestrian city. To the Buffalo, this is the land they've roamed for hundreds of years—this is their freedom." Becker looked meaningfully at her. "People, and Buffalo, will destroy far more than single town when they feel their freedom is at stake.

"Still, let's not write ourselves off just yet," Becker continued. "The situation isn't ideal, but when is it ever?"

"How long until they attack?"

"I can't be sure, but I'd say soon. They won't want us to have time to repair the railroad, before they attack."

"Do you have a plan, Captain?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Still working on it," he admitted. "But if the Buffalo want to get to the town, they're going to have to get through us, first."

* * *

><p>Chief Thunderhooves stood inside the Buffalo war tent—a large teepee intended to accommodate Buffalo war leaders, and their aides. The Buffalo's leadership consisted of seasoned warriors from all Buffalo tribes.<p>

The political structure used by the Buffalo was fairly sophisticated. The tribes could be thought of as nomadic city-states, united together into a loose confederation.

Chief Thunderhooves occupied the senior leadership position of the Buffalo nation. Usually this was limited to serving as an arbiter during times of conflict between two tribes, but he did have limited power to direct actions during a time of war. However, he only held power as long as the majority of the tribe's leaders supported him, and that could change at any time.

The territories of each tribe were divided based on the amount of land necessary to generate the food required to support the population of that tribe. Gathering food was of paramount importance to all tribes, so the hardships that Thunderhooves' tribe was facing concerned them all. Any disruption in food supply could prove fatal.

Furthermore, an attack on one Buffalo tribe constituted an act of war against all tribes. When Thunderhooves reported his tribe had been attacked, the entire Buffalo nation was obligated to provide assistance—hundreds of warriors were flowing in.

This had been what had brought him to the war tent—to plan for the battle ahead. He had no idea what they would face; what weapons the Humans would use against them. They had mastered the skies, he knew that much; he had seen their aircraft. Yet, the Buffalo greatly outnumbered them. Thunderhooves felt confident that they would prevail.

He frowned uncomfortably, remembering that prevailing would entail the total destruction of Appleloosa.

"It's for the best," he muttered to himself. He was a leader. He had to make the tough decisions. A Pony's life wasn't worth that of a Buffalo's.

_But still, that doesn't make their lives worthless._

The idea to destroy the town hadn't actually been his. Another Buffalo, Chief Raging Storm, had suggested it initially, and the idea soon found favor with the other war leaders.

_Of course, Raging Storm would be the one to suggest this, _Thunderhooves thought. Chief Raging Storm led a tribe of warriors known for their ferocity in battle. It had been years since the Buffalo had fought a war, but Thunderhooves remembered the last time Raging Storm's warriors had fought against a rebellion of several tribes nearly fifteen years ago—they had led the charge, and had torn the enemy apart.

Once again, Raging Storm and his warriors would spearhead the assault. If all went according to plan, they would smash the Human defenses, overwhelming the American's superior weaponry with sheer numbers, and ferocious fighting. The rest of the Buffalo would follow in behind.

The canvas flap which covered the entrance and exit to the tent was pulled back, and Chief Raging Storm stepped through the opening. Thunderhooves glanced up and said nothing as the other Buffalo approached him.

"Won't be long until we're rid of these Ponies," Raging Storm said. "Them, _and_ their Human guards."

"You seem very confident," Thunderhooves replied.

"Why shouldn't I be? We're up against a bunch of tiny, little Ponies." Raging Storm snorted. "This won't even be a fight."

"The Humans will be present, too," Thunderhooves reminded him.

"I thought you took care of them?"

"We burned the supplies they brought," Thunderhooves said. "That doesn't mean they can't still fight."

"No matter—my Buffalo will rip them to pieces."

"Raging Storm," Thunderhooves said hesitantly. "Do you think our plan is a little… extreme?"

"Extreme?"

Thunderhooves shook his head. "It's a massacre."

"There can be no Ponies left!" Raging Storm spat suddenly. "If a single filly survives, they'll be back! The hope for these settlements will die with Appleloosa!"

He calmed after a second, and glared at Thunderhooves. "I thought you understood what needed to be done, Thunderhooves. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps"—he took a step towards the chief—"you don't have strength to lead us."

Thunderhooves growled angrily and crossed the space between him and Raging Storm. "Maybe you'd like to test my strength, Raging Storm!"

He let the offer stand for a second before taking a step back.

Raging Storm said nothing. He might be able to best the chief, but Thunderhooves was a popular figure, and Raging Storm wasn't sure he had the political support necessary to shift the balance of power in his favor. Not yet, at least. It would be safer to challenge Thunderhooves when he had more support—the next day, perhaps, after his victory at Appleloosa. He could wait until then.

With nothing more to say, Raging Storm turned and left the tent.

* * *

><p>Captain Becker tapped the point of his knife against a map of Appleloosa, and the surrounding areas. Team leaders crowded around, along with General Broadsword, to hear Becker's rundown of their defense plans.<p>

"Phase Line Alpha will consist of DFPs set up here." Becker used his knife to point out several crudely-drawn defensive fighting positions, which were staged atop tall hills. "These units will act as forward observers for our mortar teams. As soon as you can see the Buffalo, call in the mortars. If they retreat, do not engage; we might need the ammo later. If they keep coming, then you're weapons free.

"When you've depleted one-third of your team's ammunition, fall back to Phase Line Bravo. When you've used up half of your remaining ammo, fall back again to Phase Line Charlie." Phase Line Charlie consisted of the defenses inside the town. "You'll be resupplied there, and you'll re-engage the Buffalo—this time with support from vehicles being set up as static defensive measures

"The Buffalo's _only_ advantage over us is superior numbers. Incapacitate as many as possible before they can reach the town. Once they're inside the town, they'll be able to swarm all over us, neutralizing the advantage out superior weaponry gives us—the ability to engage targets at long ranges.

"Now, we need to get the civilian population to a safe location; any ideas?"

"Some of the farms probably have cellars," Lieutenant Covey said. "Maybe we could keep them in there? It'd be a lot like a bunker."

Becker shook his head. "The farm buildings are spread out over too large an area. We need a single, easily defended location."

"What about the tavern, sir?" Lieutenant Forman suggested.

"The tavern?"

"Yes, sir. It doubles as an inn, so it's got several stories to it—it's the biggest building in the town, I'd say. And it's got a cellar where they keep their food and drinks."

"It'll probably be pretty cramped in there, even if it is a big building," Marshall said. "But I guess they don't have to be comfortable to be safe."

"Hm. Agreed," Becker said. "If no one else has any suggestions, then we'll evacuate the civilians to the tavern."

No other recommendations were voiced.

"Alright, then. General Broadsword, you brought some troops with you, right?"

"Correct, Captain."

"If you wouldn't mind, have them get the tavern ready."

"Very well, Captain."

"Everyone else, get out to your positions. I doubt the Buffalo are going to wait much longer to execute their attack."

* * *

><p>Princess Twilight Sparkle felt her study's floorboards shake as a single M1A3 Abrams tank thundered past her on the street outside. The tank was burning valuable fuel as it rolled into position; part of the American's defense of the town.<p>

Twilight let out a sad sigh and rested her head on the desk. Princess Celestia had sent her here to keep this from happening, but things had only gotten worse since their arrival.

Just then, Twilight heard a knock at her door.

"Go away!" she ordered, not in the mood to talk with anypony.

The door opened, and in walked her five closest friends.

"Twi? You okay?" Applejack asked.

"Nopony's seen you all day," Dash said.

Twilight shook her head. "I failed, girls."

"Aw, cheer up, frowny!" Pinkie threw a foreleg around her.

Twilight shook Pinkie's hoof off and walked past her to the window. Outside, she could see beams of light as U.S. troops navigated the dark streets with flashlights.

"I failed," she repeated.

"I failed Princess Celestia." The Princess had trusted her to defuse the situation.

"I failed the town." Appleloosa was about to be attacked, and if the Buffalo succeeded, they would destroy the town.

"I failed all of them." Twilight nodded towards the soldiers outside, who were about to risk their lives to protect Appleloosa.

"But most importantly," Twilight looked at her friends, "I failed you, and you're all in danger, because of it."

"C'mon, Twilight, nopony can win 'em all!" Dash exclaimed. "Not even somepony as awesome as me!"

"Dash is right," Rarity said. "You can possibly expect to prevail through _every_ situation."

"Sometimes, no matter what you try, there's no perfect solution," Fluttershy continued.

"What matters," Applejack finished, "is that you do try. We ain't done here yet, Twi, and if there's anypony I know who can figure out a solution under pressure, it's you."

Twilight didn't respond.

"C'mon, Twilight; use that egghead of yours! You've gotta' have _some _ideas!" Dash exclaimed.

Twilight let out a sigh. "Well… if we're going to do anything, we'll need information first."

"Maybe we could try talking to those Ponies who saw the Buffalo burn that warehouse down?" Fluttershy suggested.

Twilight thought it over. The first attack on the town had been a food warehouse—a couple of Ponies from the town reported seeing Buffalo at the scene. It had all been downhill from there, and it was as good a place to start as any.

"We'll need to find them, first. And we'll need to hurry. C'mon girls, let's go!"

They all rushed towards the door, and stopped abruptly when two U.S. soldiers appeared in front of them.

"Ma'am," one of them said, "we're evacuating this area. We need all of you to come with us."

"Evacuating? To where?" Twilight asked.

"To the tavern, ma'am," replied the other.

"The tavern?!"

"Yes ma'am," said the first, and he checked his watch. "We need to you hurry."

The Mane Six exchanged glances, and followed the two soldiers out of the building.

* * *

><p>It was morning when the soldiers stationed at Phase Line Alpha first caught sight of the advancing Buffalo forces. It looked like a sinister, black, fog-bank cresting over hills in the distance, on a clear, sunny morning.<p>

"Damn! Look at how many of them there are!" someone remarked.

Lieutenant Covey peered through a pair of binoculars, before nodding curtly. "Right. They're sufficiently within range—call in the mortars, and let's ruin their day."

A quick call over the radio provided mortar crews will all the information they needed to fire the opening salvo. Once the shells were in the air, they would be guided onto their targets by laser beams—an onboard computer adjusted the stabilizer fins to direct the shell right on top of the designated target.

The mortars were fired—distinctive _pops _resonated through Appleloosa. The shockwave and recoil kicked up dust around the weapons, mixing with the smoke and creating a haze which soon covered the battery of mortars.

Chief Thunderhooves stopped dead in his tracks, and squinted as his ears picked up on out-of-place sound. It started out as a faint whistle, and quickly became a roar, and crescendoed into a sudden explosion of sound and light that blinded and deafened the chief.

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

Thunderhooves opened his eyes and saw Buffalo falling down amidst fireballs which seemed to materialize out of nowhere, striking down warriors all around him. There was no way to tell where the next explosion would land—no pattern to the destruction occurring all around him. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it stopped.

Slowly, Thunderhooves' hearing began to return to him, and he heard the single most sickening sound in his life—the moans of the wounded, and the cries of the dying.

Thunderhooves' stomach tied a knot around itself, and he could taste something sour rising in the back of his throat. The chief swallowed, steeled himself, and looked around, careful never to linger too long on a fallen Buffalo.

"Humans!" Snarled Raging Storm. "This was the Humans!"

Raging Storm faced the direction of Appleloosa and howled a wild, primitive roar. Thunderhooves couldn't blame him; most of the casualties had been his warriors. They had been leading the advance, and they had been the ones hit by the American mortar salvo.

Thunderhooves suddenly felt himself overcome by the putrid stench of burning hair, flesh, and blood. He recoiled instinctively, but there was no escaping the smell, and he took to breathing through his mouth to avoid becoming sick.

Raging Storm seemed to take no notice of the pungent smell. He stood stock-still, glaring pure hatred at his unseen enemy.

"They will pay for what they've done!" he vowed. "Every last Pony and Human! I'll make them all pay!"

He bellowed a command to the rest of the Buffalo forces. "Go! Forward!"

"They're still coming, sir," a soldier reported to Covey. "They're just over a half-klick away—maybe seven hundred meters."

Seven-hundred meters was close enough for firing into a large group, Covey knew. "Then prepare to fire on my command. Remember everyone, one-third of your ammo! Ready… weapons free!"

The soldiers opened fire on the advancing Buffalo, and the hillside was suddenly alive with sound. Hot brass poured out their rifles ejection ports, and collected in pools on the ground.

The fired projectiles arced through the air and slammed into the Buffalo. At that range, and against a fully-grown Buffalo, most wounds weren't fatal. That wasn't to say, however, that they didn't hurt; Buffalo dropped left and right, nursing a variety of different wounds.

Suddenly, the shooting stopped—the Americans had depleted a third of their ammunition, and ceased fire.

Lieutenant Covey assessed the damage, with a pair of binoculars. They had thrown the Buffalo lines into absolute chaos, and produced dozens of casualties—casualties who would need medical attention, which would serve to take more Buffalo out of the fight.

"Good job, everyone," Covey said. "Now, let's pull back to Bravo before these guys get organized."

* * *

><p>Twilight surveyed the massive crowd inside the tavern, and let out a dismal sigh. Somewhere in here was the Pony they wanted to speak to, but it was going to be a nightmare trying to find him.<p>

Last night the crowd had been considerably smaller, but there hadn't been nearly enough light to carry out any sort of search. _And there still isn't a whole lot of light now_, Twilight thought.

"Alright girls, let's split up and start asking around," Twilight said. "They've gotta' be in here somewhere."

Really, Twilight wasn't quite sure what they were hoping to accomplish, other than feeling like they were doing something. After all, it was a little late to prevent conflict—she had heard weapons fire not long ago. The best she could hope for was to discover that, perhaps, the Buffalo that had destroyed the warehouse hadn't been from Thunderhooves' tribe. Maybe, just maybe, that could defuse the situation.

As Twilight kept searching though, she felt her hope slowly eroding away. She'd spoken with dozens of Ponies—almost all the Ponies on the tavern's ground level, and gotten nowhere.

Only a few Ponies remained, all of them huddled together in one corner of the tavern. They were conversing over something, Twilight noticed. As she drew closer, she picked up on their conversation.

"Blackjack, you said this wouldn't happen! You said the Humans would lock the Buffalo away in that camp!"

Whoever was speaking sounded frantic, worried, and surprised.

"Calm down, Cartwheel!" ordered a deeper, harsh voice.

Cartwheel, Twilight assumed, was the brown Earth Pony with a wooden cart for a cutie-mark. Blackjack was, perhaps, the large, dark Earth Pony, who currently held the entire groups attention."

"But Blackjack—"

"Zip it! Things might look bad now, but they'll look a whole lot worse if somepony finds out it was _us_ who burned that warehouse down!"

Twilight recoiled, and gasped. The Buffalo had been framed!

Blackjack continued. "Now, keep calm—all of you! If we're lucky, the Humans will do one better than just locking the Buffalo up; they'll get rid of them, permanently!"

Twilight took a step back, and then another, trying to make her getaway without attracting the attention of Blackjack and his group. They didn't seem to have even registered her presence though, and once Twilight felt she was a safe distance from them, she let out a relieved sigh.

That was, until she felt a hoof on her shoulder.

"AH!" Twilight yelped, and spun around to find her five friends looking at her with both concern and surprise.

"It's just us, Sugarcube," Applejack said. "Y'all okay? You look live you've seen a ghost!"

Twilight shook her head. "Not a ghost, but I did find out who burned down the warehouse. And it wasn't the Buffalo."

She quickly explained the encounter.

"So, it was those Ponies over there?!" Dash exclaimed. "What are we standing around here for, then?! Let's get 'em!"

"Dash! Stop!" Twilight ordered, telekinetically securing her. "I don't think we should confront them.

"Twilight's right," Rarity said. "We can't go charging in there like common ruffians."

"Yeah? Then what are we gonna' do?" Dash challenged.

"I think," Twilight began, "that there's a few _ruffians_ around here that might just be willing to lend us a hand."

"Huh?" Dash was lost.

Twilight glanced towards two Americans keeping watch over the crowd. Both were pilots, but without any usable aircraft, they were fulfilling the role of military police, helping maintain order inside the over-crowded Tavern.

"Oh," Dash said, understanding now. She grinned. "Right; we get our wing-ponies first, then we go get those guys!"

* * *

><p>Raging Storm stood amidst a sea of Buffalo casualties—warriors who had been injured by weapons far beyond their understanding. They were being tended to by their comrades, but there was only so much they could do. Whatever the Human soldiers carried, Raging Storm knew it was highly effective.<p>

Secretly, he held the tiniest splash of admiration for his adversary—they had proven they were quite capable. He hated them, certainly. Nothing would give him greater pleasure than wiping every last Human out. But there was no denying that they were skilled in the art of war, an art that Raging Storm had based his entire life around.

And hopefully, after destroying these invaders, an art that the other tribes would gladly embrace, under his leadership.

Raging Storm heard a Buffalo coming up behind him, and instantly knew who it was.

"Thunderhooves," he said, without turning around.

"Raging Storm, we lost too many of our warriors," Thunderhooves asserted.

Raging Storm shook his head, more disappointed than angry. "Why, Thunderhooves? Why are you soft of them?"

"Raging Storm, your warriors are trusting you to lead them, and you're throwing their lives away!"

Raging Storm turned suddenly towards Thunderhooves. "My warriors gave their lives to rid us of these invaders! If we stop now, then they died for nothing!"

He turned back away from Thunderhooves. His voice was calm again, but it was merely a façade to conceal the seething rage boiling inside of him. "Tomorrow, I'll attack again. I have the support of all the other tribes; they'll stand beside me. The question is, Thunderhooves, will you?"

Thunderhooves hesitated. He knew they would probably sustain massive casualties, but then again, so did the leaders of the other tribes. It would be cowardly for him to abstain. Furthermore, it would be dishonorable to the memory of the warriors who had already died.

Thunderhooves nodded solemnly. "Yes. I will."


	18. Chapter 18

**Authors note: **Finally got this thing with Appleloosa wrapped up. Please report any words that are misspelled or otherwise confusing.

**Chapter 18**

It was incredible, Captain Becker thought, that a town about to be turned into a battlefield could be so peaceful.

It was morning in Appleloosa—the second day of open hostilities with the Buffalo. The sun was still low in the sky, but high enough to cast its warming rays over the land. The sky was devoid of any clouds, and a pleasant breeze blew through the town. It was almost a perfect day—almost.

Nevertheless, there were signs of trouble. The air was laced with the smell of smoke, and burned chemical propellant. Soldiers were patrolling the empty streets, and defensive fighting positions had been established around the city. It was quit now.

_But it won't be for long_, Becker thought.

"Captain Becker!" screeched a loud voice.

The captain and several of his men turned around, confused looks plastered on their faces.

Pinkie Pie was waving from a group walking towards them—a group consisting of the Mane Six, two pilots, and five ponies that Captain Becker had never seen before. The pilots were in the rear, holding their P90s at the ready, glowing at the unidentified Ponies.

As they drew closer, Becker recognized the two pilots as Lieutenants Harris and Aiken; a pair of Air Force officers who had been assigned the task of keeping the tavern safe.

"Lieutenant Harris," Becker said, addressing the more talkative of the two. "Is there something wrong?"

"I think I'd better let Princess Twilight explain, sir," Harris replied, never taking his eyes off the ponies he had been escorting.

Captain Becker shifted his gaze to Twilight and waited for her to enlighten him.

"Captain, these five Ponies are the ones who destroyed the warehouse," Twilight began. "It wasn't the Buffalo—they just wanted to make us think it was, so that you'd force the Buffalo to relocate to your camp."

Becker looked from Twilight, to the five prisoners. They all looked scared, with the exception of one—the largest and darkest of the group. He glared defiantly at the Captain, as if he was in control of the whole situation.

"How do you know?" Becker asked Twilight.

"I was trying to collect information about the Buffalo, when I overheard them talking to their leader, Blackjack—the big one. Apparently, things didn't go quite according to their plan."

"So"—Becker stepped uncomfortably close to the accused—"is that right?"

"Maybe it is," growled Blackjack. "So what?"

"Do you know how many people are going to die because of you?!" Becker roared, leaning in towards him. When he said people, he wasn't referring exclusively to Humans. Blackjack's actions had placed every Pony, Buffalo, and Human at risk.

"Maybe if you'd gotten rid of the Buffalo sooner, we wouldn't be having this problem," Blackjack spat.

Captain Becker huffed angrily, and reared himself back up to full height. "Well, Princess, this certainly changes things."

"Are you going to contact the Buffalo? Let them know what really happened?"

He nodded. "The Buffalo haven't made any more moves since yesterday; as long as they're not attacking, we can try to work—"

"Captain!" yelled a radio operator. "Sir, I'm getting in reports that the Buffalo are moving towards Phase Line Bravo!"

Twilight looked frantically from the radio operator, to Captain Becker. "What does that mean?!"

"It means we probably won't be negotiating, after all." Becker shook his head. "I'm sorry Princess—I'd get back indoors if I was you."

* * *

><p>"Here they come, sir!" a solider reported to Lieutenant Covey.<p>

The Buffalo were charging towards Phase Line Bravo, kicking up clouds of dust—Covey could hear their hooves hit the ground as they drew closer.

"Weapons free!" the lieutenant announced, once he judged the Buffalo were in range.

His men opened fire—rifles cracked and machineguns barked as they sent their deadly projectiles soaring through the air towards the Buffalo. Much like the previous day, the Buffalo dropped as they were hit. Unlike the last encounter however, the Buffalo kept coming.

Lieutenant Covey hesitated; it had been expected that they would break off their attack, not continue advancing.

"Sanders!" Covey called for his grenadier—a soldier armed with a Milkor M32; a 40mm grenade launcher with a six-shot capacity.

"Sir?" Sanders asked.

"Drop some rounds on those guys!" Covey ordered, yelling over the gunfire.

"Yes, sir!" Sanders replied, taking aim. His M32 popped each time it fired, hurling a grenade towards the Buffalo which exploded on impact. It was considerably less spectacular than the mortar-fire, but undeniably effective.

Regardless of the casualties though, the Buffalo never even slowed.

_They're getting too close_, Covey thought. "Fall back!"

* * *

><p>"Captain, Lieutenant Covey's men are falling back," a radio operator reported to Becker.<p>

"Already?" Captain Becker asked surprised. "They've only just made contact."

The radio operator nodded. "Yes sir; they reported the Buffalo continued to charge, even after they opened fire."

Captain Becker frowned as he thought over that report. He had anticipated the Buffalo breaking formation and panicking after taking fire, much like what had happened the previous day. However, the Buffalo had shrugged off the casualties and continued to advance. This suggested they were simply going to smash through the town's defenses at all costs.

"Affix bayonets!" Becker barked abruptly, startling his soldiers who scrambled to comply with his demand. Captain Becker slid his M9 knife out of its sheath, and attached it to his rifle. If he was correct about the Buffalo's tactics, then it meant they would likely experience close-in fighting—the kind where a bayonet would be useful.

"Someone, find General Broadsword," Becker ordered, taking off down the road, towards the outer defenses. "I'll be at Phase Line Charlie!"

* * *

><p>Chief Raging Storm grinned malevolently as he watched the Americans break formation and fall back to the relative safety of Appleloosa. A short time later, his Buffalo trampled over their last position. If Covey hadn't fallen back, his men would have been crushed by hundreds of charging Buffalo.<p>

Raging Storm had built up enough momentum to smash into Appleloosa—his plan was a simply one based on the principals of overwhelming numbers, and brute force. His warriors would overrun the Humans, defeat them quickly, and Raging Storm would be free to do as he pleased with the rest of the town.

The leading Buffalo approaching the town now—it wouldn't be long until victory was his.

* * *

><p>Phase Line Charlie, the third stage in Becker's defense plan for Appleloosa, ran through the outskirts of Appleloosa, where the town's newest buildings had sprung up. Mostly, the surroundings structures were residential, and followed a very similar design—wooden buildings materials, four-sided, one to two stories, flat roofed, and a covered porch. Once, Appleloosa had looked like a sleepy frontier town—now it looked like a warzone.<p>

Sandbags were stacked on the porches of houses. Snipers and machine gunners sat atop the roofs. Stationary vehicles occupied the streets, and infantry bunkered down behind their defensive fighting positions. This had been where Lieutenant Covey and his men fell back to, with the Buffalo only minutes behind them.

"Lieutenant Covey, what's the situation?"

Covey, who had been resting against a pile of sandbags, looked up, and saw First Lieutenant Forman and Second Lieutenant Marshall; the former looking at him expectantly.

"Uh… there's a horde of Buffalo preparing to charge our position, sir," Covey replied, rising to his feet. He had thought that much had been obvious.

Lieutenant Forman sighed, and shifted his gaze from Covey, to the hills on the horizon behind him. "I thought it might be that. Still though, had to ask."

"What happens now?" Covey asked, turning to face the same direction as Forman, fearing he might miss some crucial detail.

"We're dug in pretty good here," Forman replied. "If the Buffalo come at us, we're packing enough firepower to turn them back."

As he said that, the first of the charging Buffalo appeared at the top of the hill Forman had been observing, and stopped.

Lieutenant Forman raised a pair of binoculars, and sighed. "Well, there sure are a lot of 'em."

Marshall rolled his eyes. "Oh, good observation, Sherlock—we knew _that_ going into this."

"Hey, ya' don't have to be an ass, Mark," Forman huffed. "I was just saying."

He cocked his head to one side and quirked an eyebrow. "Hey, do you hear something?"

All three men turned around, and saw Captain Becker walking up on them.

"Captain," Forman exclaimed, surprised. "I thought you were at the command post."

"I was," Becker replied, and quickly moved on. "Lieutenant Forman, those Buffalo are preparing to charge right into us."

Forman's head whipped around quickly. For a second, he thought Captain Becker's statement meant he had missed something, and that the Buffalo were attacking at that very instance. He saw though, that they hadn't moved, and faced Captain Becker again.

"We know they are, sir—our men are already in position to repel them."

"No, Lieutenant," Becker replied, shaking his head. "They're planning to smash right into us, ignoring any casualties they take."

The captain looked at Covey. "Just like they did with you, only this time there won't be anywhere to fall back to."

Lieutenant Forman looked back at the Buffalo massing atop the hill, this time much less sure of himself. He glanced back towards Captain Becker. "Can we stop them, sir?"

"If he hit them with everything we've got, maybe. If not, we're probably in trouble."

Forman noticed the bayonet attached to the end of the captain's rifle, and gulped—bayonets were usually reserved for close-in fighting. If the Buffalo got that close, it would effectively nullify their superior weaponry.

Marshall and Covey understood the gravity of the situation as well as Forman did. Both slid their knives from their sheaths, and installed them on the end of their rifles, which they took to gripping tighter.

"If we do repel them," Becker continued, "then we're going to try to talk to them."

"Talk to them, sir?" Forman asked, confused. It didn't seem that the Buffalo would be particularly interested in talking.

"Talk to them, Lieutenant, yes," Captain Becker nodded. "Turns out, this whole thing is one big misunderstanding orchestrated by some local Ponies trying to get us to lock the Buffalo up—the Buffalo think we attacked them, and we think they attacked us. If we're lucky, maybe we can work something out."

Becker noticed movement within the Buffalo ranks. "That is, after we stop them from killing us."

They shouldered their rifles, and turned to face their opponents.

Lieutenant Marshall let out a sigh, and shook his head. "What I wouldn't give for some of Twilight's magic lasers right now."

"Well then, I guess you're in luck."

The Mane Six and General Broadsword were grouped together in the middle of the street. Twilight was in the lead, and Broadsword stood off to the side, a serious expression plastered on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Becker asked. "I thought you were taking cover indoors!"

Twilight shook her head, smiling. "Nope—you said that if you were us, you'd get indoors."

"Looks like we aren't like you, Captain." Dash grinned at him.

Acutely aware he was being ribbed, Becker glanced around the gauge the others reactions. General Broadsword was stoic, as always. Forman, Marshall, and Covey were grinning slightly, and the Mane Six was beaming brightly at him, which was probably to be expected.

"No, I guess you're not," Becker said with a shrug. "But why are you here? Things are about to get real dangerous."

"We know," Twilight replied. "So how could we leave our friends to deal with it alone?"

"Touching," Lieutenant Marshall said, keeping his eyes on the Buffalo. "But no joke—those guys are gonna' kill us if we can't turn them back."

He glanced back at her hopefully. "I don't guess you might have a few tricks?"

Twilight considered his question, and smiled. "I think I have just the thing."

She looked at Captain Becker. "Tell your men not to shoot, Captain."

"Not to shoot?" Becker asked incredulous.

Twilight nodded confirmation. "Let me try, first."

Captain Becker sighed and shook his head. "Alright, Princess. But if whatever you've in mind doesn't work, we're opening fire."

* * *

><p>Chief Raging Storm looked down on Appleloosa, from his position on one of the surrounding hills. He could see where the Humans had set their defenses—defenses which would soon be trampled by charging Buffalo. As soon as all his warriors were in position, he'd give the order to attack.<p>

Raging Storm was totally sure of the outcome—a Buffalo victory. The Americans might have powerful weaponry, but their numbers were too few. Raging Storm was mere minutes from the victory that would establish him as the dominant Buffalo leader.

He cast a quick glance over the Buffalo lines, and saw that everything was in place. After taking a couple brief seconds to savor the moment, Raging Storm bellowed his command.

"Attack!"

* * *

><p>"Hey—here they come!" Lieutenant Covey warned. The Americans brought their rifles up, but held their fire.<p>

"Twilight," Captain Becker began, "now would be a very good time."

Twilight didn't respond. She couldn't; she was concentrating too hard. But as she concentrated, the Buffalo drew nearer.

"Sir, they're getting close!" Lieutenant Forman reported.

"Princess," Becker said, hoping to prompt Twilight into action. Still though, nothing happened.

Lieutenant Forman's finger hovered over the trigger. One half of his screamed at him to pull, and open fire. The other half urged him to wait for Becker's orders.

"Now, Twilight!" Becker barked.

A jet of blinding, white light shot from Twilight's horn and soared above the Buffalo before exploding into vibrant colors which radiated outward in all directions as deafening cracking sounds filled the air.

The Buffalo, confused and deafened, half-blind and frightened, all turned tail and retreated back up the hill. They had been repelled without the Americans firing a single shot.

Chief Raging Storm could only stand and watch as his entire plan fell apart. He wasn't sure exactly what happened, he only knew that after a massive flash of light followed by thunderous explosions, the charging ranks were now falling back.

"Stop!" he commanded, to no avail. Buffalo continued to pour back over the hill.

Raging Storm stomped a hoof and cried out in anger. Without a victory, he might not have the support necessary to remove Thunderhooves. He was losing more than a battle—his quest for power was unraveling right before his eyes.

He noticed that he wasn't the only one trying to regain order. Other Buffalo chiefs—the ones who had supported his idea to wipe out Appleloosa—were attempting to rally their troops as well. They didn't seem to be faring better than him, however.

"All of you!" Raging Storm called to them. "Follow me! We'll finish this ourselves!"

_If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself_, Raging Storm though as he charged toward the Human lines, followed by his supporters and a squadron of Buffalo he had been using as bodyguards. They would destroy Appleloosa, or die trying.

"Hey Captain, look at this!" Lieutenant Marshall called, pointing.

Captain Becker looked out and saw that there was still a small group of Buffalo charging down the hill.

"Twilight, gonna' do your thing again?" He jerked his head towards the approaching Buffalo.

Twilight shook her head, panting heavily. "I don't have enough…" she didn't finish her sentence.

Captain Becker looked away from Twilight and back at the Buffalo. They were getting closer each second and Twilight was in no condition to spook them off again.

"Weapons free!" he bellowed. "Open fire!"

Every soldier present had been listening for that order and they complied immediately. Gunshots rang out, echoing off the town's buildings and through the nearby hills, as Chief Raging Storm and his warriors fell under a massive hailstorm of bullets. It was over in just a few seconds—Raging Storm and his supports were dead.

The soldiers elevated their rifles from the fallen Buffalo, to the top of the hill where the Buffalo had massed earlier. None seemed particularly inclined to charge now, though. In fact, only a few were visible atop the crest of the hill, looking down at Appleloosa.

"Looks like the rest are staying put," Covey observed.

"Then this might be our only change to talk them out of attacking," Captain Becker said.

"I'll go, sir," Lieutenant Forman volunteered.

Captain Becker looked at him. "Any particular reason?"

"I spoke to him before, sir—he might recognize me."

"Alright, Lieutenant; go," Becker replied, coming to a decision quickly.

Lieutenant Forman sighed deeply, trying to calm his nerves. He stepped down from his position on the front porch and turned towards the Buffalo lines. Before he could take his first step though, someone behind him blurted out loudly.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going?!"

Forman turned around and saw Rainbow Dash storming angrily over to him.

"Uh… to talk to the Buffalo," he answered, rather confused.

"Alone?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I had—"

"No, you're not," she cut in. "Not after that whole speech you gave me. If you're going up to talk to the Buffalo, I'm coming with you."

She started off, trotting past the dumbstruck lieutenant, who wheeled around quickly and scrambled to catch up with her.

"It might be dangerous," he warned meekly.

"Then who better to have with you than the fastest flyer in all of Equestria?"

"Just… let me do the talking, alright?"

Dash didn't reply, but Forman took the glance she threw him as acknowledgement.

Chief Thunderhooves knew Raging Storms plan had gone terribly astray. He didn't know quite what had happened—perhaps the Humans had deployed a secret weapon, or they had more supplies hidden away. Regardless of the cause, Chief Raging Storm and his principal supporters were dead and Chief Thunderhooves had a decision to make.

He could either proceed with the attack as planned, or call it off entirely. While he had been against Raging Storms plan, if they stopped now then Appleloosa may become a staging ground for the Humans and Ponies to launch activities to suppress the Buffalo. Then again, if he was worried about retaliation, destroying a town might not be the best course of action.

Thunderhooves grunted, frustrated. When he looked back down at Appleloosa, he saw two figures making their way up to him. One Human soldier, and one Pony. He couldn't recognize the Human, but the Ponies identity was unmistakable—Rainbow Dash.

He assessed them mentally. It was unlikely they were coming to attack; they were moving slowly, and their numbers were too small. Seeing as how they posed no serious threat, Thunderhooves allowed them to approach, albeit cautiously.

"That's far enough," Thunderhooves said before they reached the top of the hill. This way, he still had the high-ground, even if it was only by a couple meters. "What is it you want?"

"To talk," Forman said, holding up his hands. He was still armed though—his rifle attached to his body by a sling.

Thunderhooves was silent a moment. "I wasn't aware we had anything to talk about."

"The Humans didn't attack you!" Dash said suddenly, taking a step forward. "It was some Ponies from the town—they wanted you to fight."

For several seconds, none of them said anything. Dash and Forman stared at Thunderhooves, who looked back and forth between them. Finally, Forman broke the silence.

"You were supposed to let me do the talking, Dash." He met Thunderhooves' eyes. "But she's right."

Thunderhooves considered him for a moment. "How do I know you're telling me the truth?" he demanded.

"You were attacked, right? Describe what it looked like," Forman said.

Thunderhooves took a few seconds to mentally recall the scene. "It was out food store; it had been burned to the ground while we were asleep."

"Burned down, huh?"

"Yes." He looked accusingly at Forman. "And we found tracks—the kind that your… machines make."

"It wasn't us," Forman said. "We'd have just shot you, probably from out helicopters. We wouldn't drive a noisy APC into your camp in the middle of the night, just to set fire to one tent."

"That doesn't prove it wasn't you," Thunderhooves replied.

"Then what kind of proof are you looking for?" Forman asked.

Thunderhooves thought it over. "You say this was an act committed by Ponies. Do you know who they are?"

Forman nodded. "We've got them locked up in the town."

"Bring them to me," Thunderhooves ordered. "I want to see them."

"I'll have to ask my superior," Lieutenant Forman replied. "No promises—I'll see what I can do."

Arranging for the five prisoners to be brought before Chief Thunderhooves proved to be hardly any trouble at all. Forman reported the Buffalo chief's request to Captain Becker, who immediately secured the Blackjack and his accomplices from the town's small jail. Within thirty minutes, Forman, Dash and the rest of the Mane Six returned to Thunderhooves, accompanied by Captain Becker, the prisoners, and a small squadron of soldiers.

Chief Thunderhooves paced up and down in front of the prisoner Ponies, regarding them carefully.

"The Humans tell me that you're responsible for the attack on our tribe." His eyes narrowed. "Is it true?"

"Of course it's true!" Blackjack snarled, catching Thunderhooves by surprise. He hadn't been expecting a clean confession to begin with, but this Pony seemed more than proud to admit his guilt.

He looked away from Blackjack, and towards Captain Becker.

"Very well, Captain—I'll take them."

"Take them?" Becker asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Justice, Captain. They must answer for what they've done."

"They will answer," Becker said. "Just not to you."

"The crimes they committed were against us!" Thunderhooves roared.

"Which is precisely why you won't be the ones to conduct the trial! Lieutenant!" Becker addressed Forman, without taking his eyes off Thunderhooves.

"Yes, sir?" Forman answered, hurrying over to Becker's side.

"Secure the prisoners—take them back to the jail cell in Appleloosa."

"Captain, if you do not release the prisoners to us, it will be war!" Thunderhooves warned.

"Uh… sir, what's going on here?" Lieutenant Forman asked, looking back and forth between Becker and Thunderhooves.

"Chief Thunderhooves wants custody of the prisoners so the Buffalo can conduct a trial, and I'm sure you can imagine how that trial will play out. We're taking the prisoners back to Canterlot to stand trial there."

"I can, sir," Forman replied. "But uh… this isn't really our call."

"Not our call?" Becker glanced at the lieutenant. "What are you talking about?"

Lieutenant Forman continued in an uncomfortable, almost apologetic tone. "We don't really have any sort of say in Equestria's justice system, sir. I can only think of one person present who has that authority—Princess Twilight."

All heads turned toward Twilight, who took a step backward, uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

"Princess Twilight," Thunderhooves said, stepping towards Twilight. "I demand that you turn these criminals over to me so that they may answer for what they did to us."

Before Twilight could reply, Captain Becker interjected himself. "Twilight, you know as well as I do what'll happen if we let the Buffalo conduct a trial."

"This is a matter of justice, Princess! If you protect them, you're just as guilty!" Thunderhooves moved another pace closer, and Captain Becker mirrored him.

"It'll be a mockery of justice!"

"Enough!" Twilight bellowed, magically amplifying her voice. Captain Becker and Chief Thunderhooves stared at her, eyes wide with surprise and their mouths open ajar, the words they had been preparing to speak dying on their lips.

She sighed and shook her head. Guilty as Blackjack and his cohorts may be, they'd never receive a fair trial from the Buffalo. Twilight couldn't blame them for their resentment, but everypony deserved a fair trial—even Ponies like Blackjack.

"Chief Thunderhooves, I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to conduct the trial. Your resentment, however understandable, would deprive those five Ponies of a fair trial. If you're truly a believer in justice, then you'll let an unbiased court sentence them."

"Princess Twilight," Thunderhooves said, barely containing his anger, "if you won't give those Ponies to me, it _will _mean war."

She met his gaze evenly. "If that's what you want, I guess we're going to go back to killing each other." Her tone was sad, yet resolute—she would not waver from her position.

Twilight's iron determination struck a chord with Chief Thunderhooves. He knew that she didn't want to fight, but at the same time she wouldn't compromise her morals—she would fight him if it was necessary.

Thunderhooves considered him what prolonging the war would cost him, and what the war had cost already. In the end, would all the lives be worth it? An Equestrian court would almost certainly return a guilty verdict.

Thunderhooves looked away from Twilight, and gazed upon the Buffalo herd behind him. All eyes were locked on him—with the loss of Raging Storm, he was the principal authority figure once again. He knew they were willing to die if he ordered it, and that knowledge made it even harder to throw their lives away in a petty conflict over revenge.

He turned back to Twilight, who was still waiting for his answer. "I don't want war with you. Conduct your trial."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Ultimately, Blackjack and his four accomplices received guilty verdicts. It took the court only a couple days to reach their decision, and the five Ponies were sentenced to hard labor in the fields.

Twilight sent a letter to Princess Celestia summarizing the situation and requesting aid for wounded Buffalo, and Ponies to repair the damaged railroad. Later that day, American aircraft laden with additional food, medical supplies, and fuel touched down in Appleloosa. Every Pony and Human who had been sent as part of the original peace-keeping team was rotated out of Appleloosa, and deposited in Canterlot where they received Princess Celestia's heartfelt thanks.

The conflict that befell Appleloosa was the first major trial for the soldiers of the Alternate Reality Command. But it was far from their last.

* * *

><p>High above the icy tundra of the frozen north, two objects streaked through the dark, cloudy sky. The first was a U.S. Air Force F35 Lightning—a highly sophisticated multirole strike fighter piloted by Captain Aaron Thompson.<p>

The second was a Lightning Dust—the very same Pegasus who had washed out from the Wonderbolts Academy. Her speed and maneuverability had caught the attention of the Alternate Reality Command, and they had approached her with an offer to work with them.

Captain Thompson and Lightning Dust, call signs Lightning Seven and Lightning Eight respectively, were patrolling the airspace around the Crystal Empire as part of a project to learn how to coordinate Pegasi and fighters to work together in combat. The project was still in its early stages of development, with the Alternate Reality Command testing Lightning Dust to see what she was capable of. Her performance would determine the future of the project.

On that day, their flight was a test of endurance—to see how long Lightning Dust could fly alongside an F35. The fighter carried two external fuel tanks to extend its flight time, and missiles on the rest of its pylons.

Lightning Dust was equipped with a lightweight helmet which housed a radio, a few navigation instruments, and kept the wind out of her eyes.

Captain Thompson's radio suddenly burst to life. "Hey, Aaron—see if you can keep up!"

Thompson saw Lightning Dust pulling ahead of him. He sighed in frustration and increased his throttle to match her pace, applying forward pressure on the joystick to combat the tendency of aircraft to climb as their engines receive more power. "Lightning Eight, this is a test of duration, not speed, over."

This wasn't the first time Captain Thompson had experienced problems with her deviating from the planned flight profile. All their time spent together might have made them friends, but Thompson was skeptical about how well she'd perform in a combat environment.

"C'mon, Aaron, have some fun once in a while!" Again, she accelerated.

"Lightning Eight—" Captain Thompson, who had been preparing to rebuke her again, cut off abruptly as he noticed something out of place on one of his instruments.

The Radar Warning Receiver was displaying a _U_ for unknown radar contact, marked with a karat symbol to indicate it was airborne. The RWR in his aircraft alerted him when it detected radar illuminating the fighter. Radar which was nonexistent in Equestria, yet he was somehow detecting it.

"What's up, Aaron? Too fast for you?" Lightning Dust noticed he was no longer pursuing her.

"Lighting Eight, get back in formation—I'm being painted."

"Painted?" Lightning Dust had a basic familiarity with slang, enough to know that when a pilot said he was being painted it meant someone was usually acquiring him as a target.

Suddenly, a circle appeared around _U_—a missile launch warning.

"They just fired!" Thompson declared, and dropped his fuel tanks—they would only hinder maneuverability. "Tower, Lightning Seven—I have been engaged!"

"Copy." The reply was calm and collected.

On the RWR, the _U_ had totally disappeared. There was only an _M_ marked with a threat diamond, which had just passed into lethal range, meaning there was a much higher chance of a kill against Captain Thompson's aircraft.

Just on the edge of Thompson's vision, he saw something black shooting through the sky towards him. As it drew closer, he could see it had no definite shape—it actually looked more like a cloud, but whatever it was, it was about to hit him.

He rolled hard left to avoid it, and it streaked past him. He and Lightning Dust needed evade whatever was attacking them without getting split up.

"Lightning Eight, stay with me." He banked to the left again and rolled out on a new heading. Thompson checked over his right wingtip for Lightning Dust, and saw no sign of her.

"Lightning Eight, what's your heading, over?"

No reply.

"Lightning Eight, do you read, over?"

The radio remained silent, and Captain Thompson cursed under his breath. Lightning Dust either wasn't listening, or couldn't hear him. Either way, he had lost his wingman, and to make matters worse she was unarmed and totally untrained for aerial combat. He needed to find her, so he circled back around to his original heading.

Lightning Dust's radio equipment was perfectly functional, but her mind was not. As soon as Captain Thomson reported they were under attack, she had lost her ability to perform higher level functions, which included monitoring the radio. Lightning Dust had heard Thompson's transmission; her brain simply hadn't processed it.

Now she looked around and saw Captain Thompson's familiar, dark-grey F35 was gone and she was totally alone. Frantically, she searched for the aircraft but saw no sign of it. But she did notice the black cloud from earlier on her tail, rapidly approaching.

Lightning Dust pushed herself to her speed to her very limits, but the cloud matched her effortlessly. It was if it was a sentient being, taunting her as she fought to stay alive. The cloud drew beside her and slowly began to approach her on the right.

Suddenly, ribbons of red light cut through the cloud. Lightning Dust was sure she heard an animalistic cry of pain as it changed course away from her. She looked around for her savior and saw Captain Thompson's F35 descending out of the sky above her. He had fired with his twenty-five millimeter cannon—the jets of red had been tracer rounds.

"Lightning Dust," Thompson addressed her very deliberately, determined to gain her attention. "Stay right on my wingtip—were getting out of here."

Lightning Dust saw the cloud again, creeping up on Captain Thompson from below his fighter's belly. Instead of an acknowledgement, she shouted urgently into the radio. "Look out!"

The cloud struck suddenly—a great black dagger which ripped through the F35s body and exited on the other side before it was lost to view. For a second nothing happened, and Lightning Dust hoped the aircraft might be okay. Then there was a fiery explosion, and Captain Thompson's fuselage was ruptured in half.

Horrified, Lightning Dust could only watch as the two severed parts of the aircraft spun away from each other.

In the fighter's cockpit, every single warning light and alarm bell blared as Thompson mashed the ejection button. The explosive bolts in the canopy popped and wind ripped the cover clear of what remained of the aircraft. Captain Thompson's seat fired its solid-fuel engines and blasted out of the cockpit and into the sky.

Lightning Dust never saw Captain Thompson clear the crashing fuselage—as soon as she saw his plane explode, she saw the black cloud moving in on her. She screamed, and everything went black.


	19. Chapter 19

**Authors note:** Sorry about the long wait, and for such a short chapter. Anyway, enjoy—more's on the way.

**Chapter 19**

Princess Cadence sat down by a table bearing a single ceramic teapot—a gift she had received during her wedding with Shining Armor. It wasn't anything ornate, just a pale, almost white, pink and a smooth surface devoid of any decorative markings. It was simple and functional, but the associated memories made it one of her most prized possessions.

Cadence lifted the pot aloft and poured its hot, steaming contents into a cup. She gently set the pot back down on the table, and raised the teacup to her lips, sipping at the contents and sighing appreciatively.

The door on the far side of the room swung open abruptly, drawing Cadence's eyes to the fatigued and shivering form of United States Air Force Major Stephen Proctor, the commanding officer of the Air Force squadron operating out of the Crystal Empire.

"Good morning Major," Cadence said warmly, brushing over his sudden intrusion. "Would you care for some tea?" Without invitation, she poured him a cup and sent it floating across the room.

Major Proctor gripped the cup glowing with Cadence's magical aura, and downed the contents in a few quick gulps. Tea was not the major's preferred drink, but after several hours in the frigid conditions of the Frozen North he'd gladly accept anything warm.

"How's the search going? Have you found your pilot and Lightning Dust?" Cadence asked as Proctor approached the table.

Major Proctor shook his head gravely. "No—we managed to find some debris from Captain Thompson's fighter, but he and Lightning Dust are still missing. We're not picking up any transponder signal, so we've been running a grid search pattern, but there's a lot of space to cover." Proctor sighed. "Frankly Princess, it'll be a miracle if we find them at all."

"Oh-no," Cadence said, her smile fading away in a flash. "That simply won't do—let me help you, Major."

"Princess, I don't know if that's—"

"Nonsense." Cadence stood up from the table and marched past the Major, into the hallway. "How can I help?"

Major Proctor started after her. "If you have some guards you can lend us, it might speed up the search some."

"I'll take care of it," she assured him.

Certainly enough, she did. Every available Royal Guard—Pegasus, Unicorn, and Earth Pony—was called upon to assist with the search. Major Proctor arranged for their transportation out to the search area aboard a flight of V-22s which had returned to the Crystal Empire to refuel. Within an hour and a half of his conversation with Princess Cadence, Major Proctor had secured a sizable force to aid in the search.

Proctor felt the aircraft touch down at the staging area, and braced his self for the cold as the loading ramp lowered and let in a gust of icy wind. He stood up from his seat and led the occupants out of the aircraft, which never powered down its engines. After the passengers cleared each Osprey, they rose back up into the air to continue their search from the sky.

Major Proctor waved over a coordinator for the search and explained the development to him. The coordinator worked the Equestrians into the search, and quickly set them off on their tasks.

"What happens now?" Cadence asked, as a UH-60 Black Hawk landed nearby.

"We wait," Proctor replied. "Could take hours, but—"

"Major Proctor!" bellowed an airman leaping out of the helicopter. "Major Proctor!"

The airman scrambled over to the major's position. "Sir, we've found Captain Thompson!"

Major Proctor's eyes widened. "Is he—"

"In the helicopter, sir!" the airman said quickly.

Proctor's eyes shifted back to the helicopter, where a man donning a battered, green flight-suit was climbing out. He took a second to stabilize himself, before standing perfectly upright.

"Captain!" Major Proctor exclaimed, rushing forward to meet him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, sir, given the circumstances," Thompson grunted as he rotated his shoulder. "How's Lightning Dust? Did she make it back okay?"

Major Proctor and Princess Cadence exchanged uncomfortable glances. "She never returned to base, Captain—we're assuming she went down, same as you."

"What?" Thompson's head snapped up. "We've got to go back then—she can't have landed far from me."

He placed a foot back inside the helicopter and tried to step up, but his leg gave out and he collapsed.

Major Proctor helped him up. "We're looking for her, but you're in no condition to go anywhere."

"I'll be fine, sir," Thompson asserted, slowly climbing into the helicopter, successfully this time.

"Captain, you need to see a doctor."

"Lightning Dust needs one more than I do, sir," the captain retorted.

Major Proctor shook his head, defeated. "You're dead set on this, aren't you?"

Captain Thompson locked eyes with the major. "She's my wingman, sir; you don't leave your wingman behind."

Within minutes, the Black Hawk was back in the air, soaring back towards where Captain Thompson had been located. The ride was brief and silent, with none of the helicopters occupants saying much. The aircraft touched down, it's passengers disembarked, and it took back off.

"This is where they found you?" Major Protector asked, his eyes scanning about for anything of interest.

Captain Thompson shrugged. "Close enough—let's try this direction." He pointed in a seemingly random direction, and the small—the captain, Major Proctor, Princess Cadence, and eight soldiers—set out after him.

"Captain Thompson," Cadence asked, trekking behind Thompson. "You never explained what happened."

For a brief second, Captain Thompson slowed his pace while mentally recovering the details. Then, he glanced backwards at Cadence and continued his march onward. "Lightning Dust and I were flying along—it had been a pretty routine trip. Then my RWR—that's the Radar Warning Receiver—picked up on something airborne that it couldn't identify. It shoots at me and next thing I know I'm under attack by... well, it looked like a black cloud."

"A black cloud?" Cadence asked, a note of alarm rising in her voice.

"Best as I can describe it, yeah," Thompson replied. "Anyway—"

Cadence cut him off, and stepped in front of the captain. "You're sure it was a black cloud?!"

"I don't know what the hell it was!" Thompson responded, taking a step away from Cadence. "I guess it was a cloud—why's it matter so much?!"

Princess Cadence didn't answer—she leapt over to Major Proctor and spoke to him frantically. "Major, we have to go—we're all in grave danger!"

"Danger?" Proctor repeated, taking in his surroundings. Nothing particularly threatening stood out to him—just a lot of snow.

"There's no time to explain!" Cadence asserted. "Trust me—we must leave!"

"What do you mean _leave_?" Thompson demanded angrily. "Unless I've missed something, we still haven't found Lightning Dust!"

Cadence met his irate glare and shook her head sadly. "Captain"—her voice was gentle and kind—"if I'm right, then there's little hope for Lightning Dust."

"We'll see about that!" Thompson hissed, turning about and marching several paces forward before tripping on something buried under a thin sheet of snow.

"Captain!"

Two soldiers hurried forward to assist him. "Are you alright, sir?" one of them asked, pulling him to his feet.

"I'm fine; I tripped on—'' he cut off abruptly, taking notice of what his foot had caught. It was yellow, and coated in fur.

Thomson dropped down to his knees and began shoveling show with his hands. The two soldiers glared at him, dumbstruck.

"Help me!" Thompson ordered sharply, snapping them into action. Both men—equipped with entrenching tools—made quick work of the loosely packed snow. In less than a minute, they uncovered the body of Lightning Dust.

Captain Thomson briefly checked her vitals. He could feel a faint pulse, and she was breathing, albeit shallowly. "She's alive," he reported, glowering venomously at Cadence for a second.

"I'll call for a helicopter," Proctor said. "With any luck, they'll—'' whatever he was going to say next was overpowered by a deep and malevolent throaty laugh which seemed to come from all directions at once.

"What"—Proctor looked at Cadence—"was that?"

"_Him_," Cadence gulped. "King Sombra."

Major Proctor squinted at her. "_Who?_"

Before she could answer, another wave of laughter rippled over them.

"Okay, I don't care," Proctor said, waving his previous question aside. "We're setting up a perimeter, and we're calling for a helicopter."

The eight soldiers formed a loose circle, with Proctor, Thompson, Cadence, and Lightning Dust in the center. They all kept their eyes out for anything suspicious, and their weapons were raised.

"Sir—over there!" one of the soldiers bellowed. By the time Major Proctor whipped his head around to the direction indicated, all he could see were a few wisps of black smoke.

"It… vanished, sir," reported the soldier.

"Weapons free!" Proctor announced. "Princess, if you know anything, now would be a very good time."

Before Cadence could say anything, the air was punctuated by the barking of rifle fire. Major Proctor and Captain Thompson raised their own weapons, but once again their target was gone before they could fire a shot. Then behind them, more rifle fire broke out. All around, soldiers were opening fire, and hitting nothing but the snowy ground.

"This thing is playing with us!" Proctor realized. Like a cat plays with its prey before inevitably killing it.

"Look, sir," Captain Thompson pointed towards the sky, where Major Proctor could just make out an incoming Osprey. They only needed to last long enough for it to reach them.

Suddenly, the shooting stopped; the soldiers lost their target, and it didn't take Proctor to realize why. The black cloud was no longer accosting them—it had selected the inbound helicopter as a target, and was racing through the air towards it. Major Proctor wasn't sure exactly what would happen should the cloud reach the helicopter, but if it could take down an F35 a V22 stood no chance.

The eight soldiers and two airmen on the ground could only watch, helpless to prevent the disaster unfolding before their eyes. Suddenly though, seconds before Sombra reached the helicopter which had just begun banking in a desperate evasion attempt, a pink jet arced through the air and struck King Sombra, who roared loudly and disappeared.

It was totally quiet, save for the sound of the approaching helicopter's rotors, until Major Proctor broke the silence. "Is it… dead?"

Princess Cadence, who now looked deathly pale and drained of energy, shook her head. "He's… only gone temporarily. Quick we have to get to the Crystal Empire," she panted.

None of them needed no further prompting to leave—as soon as the helicopter touched down and dropped its ramp, the small band rushed aboard. The aircraft took off and adjusted its heading towards the airfield in the Crystal Empire.

"So… what exactly was that?" asked one of the soldiers.

"An ancient evil," Cadence replied. "The original ruler of the Crystal Empire—King Sombra. Major Proctor"—she glanced at the major—"you must tell your people in Canterlot that King Sombra has returned; we need the Elements of Harmony."

* * *

><p>"King who-now?" Colonel Davis's question echoed through Princess Celestia's small study. Just after midnight, he had received a call from a small American office in Canterlot Castle, which reported that Major Proctor, an officer he knew was overseeing U.S. operations far North of Equestria, had encountered a powerful magical entity. A meeting had been scheduled with both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who would explain the situation. So far though, he hadn't been able to make sense of the facts.<p>

"King Sombra," Princess Celestia corrected patiently.

Davis sighed and scratched his head. "Run it by me one more time—he's _what_, exactly?"

The pair of princesses quickly exchanged glances, before turning their attention back on the colonel.

"We're not quite sure," Princess Celestia admitted. "King Sombra _was_ an immensely powerful unicorn, and the tyrannical and cruel ruler of the Crystal Empire. Twice now we thought him defeated, but it seems we were mistaken."

Davis's eyebrows shot up. "Twice?"

Once by my sister and I, and once by Princess Twilight and her friends," Luna said.

"Is there an impending threat of attack against the Crystal Empire?" Davis asked.

Once again, neither princess had a definitive answer. "The Crystal Empire is protected by the Crystal Heart, but we can't be sure that protection will last," Celestia said at last.

"Then, this is a time-sensitive issue?"

Celestia nodded. "Yes—you could say that."

"Any idea how long the… Crystal Heart's protection will last?"

"Only as long as the spirit of love from the Crystal Ponies provides it with enough magic power to repel Sombra."

Colonel Davis buried his hands in his face. "So, in other words"—he glanced up—"you've got no idea."

Princesses Celestia and Luna exchanged glances a second time. "Yes," Celestia said solemnly, "we have no idea."

"Colonel Davis," Princess Luna began, "Princess Twilight will be traveling with her friends to the Crystal Empire—we are calling upon the treaty your country signed with ours to aid them."

"Alright," Colonel Davis said, looking over the notes he had been taking. "So, you need to defeat an enemy you've never actually defeated before, while staging the defense of an entire city, and we're definitely operating under a timeline, but we've got no clue what that timeline is. Furthermore, we have very limited information about the capabilities of our enemy, and we're really just hoping we'll figure out a way to kill him."

Princess Celestia winced at the colonel's appraisal, but she nodded confirmation nonetheless. "Yes."

Davis ran his hands through his short hair. "Well, sounds like a normal day at the office. I'll call up Captain Becker, and get him right on it. What could possibly go wrong?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Authors note:** This would have been up a few days ago, but I've been having problems uploading documents. Anyone want to guess what U.S. president Covey is parodying?

**Chapter 20**

"Hey Jason—wake up! C'mon and take a look at this!"

First Lieutenant Jason Forman found himself suddenly and violently shaken awake by none other than his friend, Second Lieutenant Mark Marshall.

"Mark…" Forman grunted through gritted teeth. "What…?"

"Come outside; something's up," Marshall replied urgently. "Come on!"

"What time is it?" Forman glanced at his watch and his eyes shot open wide. "Two-thirty in the morning—Mark, are you out of your damn mind?!"

"Let's go!" Marshall said, ignoring his friends protest. "We might miss it!"

"Okay—fine!" Forman roared, defeated. He threw on his uniform, slid into his boots, and joined Marshall in the corridor outside. The two men paced towards the door which exited to the outside. "What's so important?"

Lieutenant Forman pushed through the door and came to a halt just outside the entrance. There was a massive concentration of anti-air weaponry, ranging from SAM surface to air missiles, to the much more advanced LANDLAWS—Land Laser Weapon System—a versatile weapon capable of destroying virtually any airborne object, from airplanes to missiles.

"Lieutenant Covey," Forman said, noticing the lieutenant milling about and clutching a clipboard. "What's with all the anti-air firepower?"

"You didn't hear, sir?" Covey asked. "We've just signed legislation that will outlaw Pegasi forever. We begin enforcement in five minutes."

"Uh… what?" Forman's eyebrows perked up.

"kidding," Covey replied, glancing down at the clipboard. "This is all for us, I think—Colonel Davis had it brought in. I've got no idea what it's about, though."

"Where's Captain Becker? Maybe he'll know."

"Actually, I think I saw him and the colonel talking over there." Covey gestured with his pen. "Anyway, sir, if you'll excuse me"—he tapped the pen against the board—"there's work to be done."

Covey dismissed himself as Forman and Marshall made their way over to the location indicated. However, they found no sign of either man.

"Doesn't look like the Captains here," Forman observed.

"Or the Colonel," Marshall added.

"Where do you think they went? And… what do you think's up with all of that." Forman waved his hand towards the equipment.

"If you're really so curious, Lieutenant, you could just ask us."

Forman and Marshall exchanged glances and turned around to find Captain Becker and Colonel Davis making their way over to them.

Briefly, they exchanged greetings, and then Marshall got right back on topic. "So… what is this for, sir? I thought we already had more than enough AA weaponry in place to defend all our sites around here."

"We aren't setting these up here," Becker explained. "All of this equipment is headed for the Crystal Empire., and we're going right along with it."

"The Crystal Empire?"

"That's right," Davis confirmed. "Know anything about it?"

"A little, sir," Forman began. "I know we've got some troops and material posted up there, and I want to say Twilight's brother lives there. Aside from that…" he trailed off and shrugged.

"Well you're right, Lieutenant—we do have some of our forces stationed up there, and Princess Twilight's brother and her sister-in-law are the heads of government."

"So… are they under attack?" Marshall asked, eyeballing a self-propelled SAM battery.

"Something like that," Davis nodded. "Apparently Princess Celestia and Princess Luna liberated the Empire from some Unicorn a couple millennia ago." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, the guy they kicked off the throne is back… again."

"Again?" Forman cocked an eyebrow.

"That's right—again. Princess Twilight beat him last time, but now he's back, and he seems to have taken a liking to flying around and trying to bring down our aircraft."

"Hence all the air-defense weaponry," Forman said understanding.

"Do you really think we'll be able to just shoot him down?" Marshall asked. "I mean… it sounds like he's a magic undead being."

Davis shrugged dismissively. "Magic or not, I doubt very much he'll be doing too much tyrannical oppression once we stuff a Patriot missile up his—"

Whatever Davis was about to say was interrupted by Lieutenant Covey, who came marching over with his clipboard in hand. "Colonel Davis, everything is accounted for."

"Excellent," Davis said with an approving nod. "Captain Becker"—he indicated towards the captain—"as soon as your preparations are made, you can move out to the Crystal Empire."

"Yes, sir," Becker replied. "I'll brief Princess Twilight on the situation tomorrow morning and if all goes well, we'll deploy the very same day."

"Speaking of, how do you think Twilight'll take the news?" Marshall asked. "Finding out someone you thought you beat is back can't be a great way to start off your day."

"Twilight hadn't backed down from a challenge the last two times we worked with her," Forman said. "I'm sure she'll take the news just fine.

* * *

><p>"<em>What<em>?! What do you mean King Sombra is _back_!?"

"Princess, please—"

"We defeated him! How?! How can he be back?!"

"I know how this must seem, but it's imperative—"

"Oh, this bad, this is bad, this is—"

"Twilight, get a grip!" Captain Becker's command reverberated throughout the room, silencing the princess and preempting whatever Forman or Marshall had been preparing to say next.

"Thank you." His voice was back at its normal volume. "Yes, King Sombra is back, and apparently this is a very bad thing. Obviously we want to stop him, so we need everyone involved to keep a level head. The absolute worst thing you could do now is to panic. Do you understand?"

Twilight gulped nervously, but nodded an affirmative nonetheless.

"Good."

"Who knows?" Twilight asked her voice shaky.

"That Sombra is back? Not many—a few of our troops, Princess Celestia and Luna, probably some Ponies up in the Crystal Empire, and you."

"You haven't told the other element bearers yet?"

Becker shook his head. "We wanted to tell you first—it'll probably be better for them to hear it from you."

Twilight sighed and trotted over to the room's one window. She peered outside—it was early morning, and the sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon, sending its orange beams radiating across the sky. Somewhere out there her friends were waking up—with the likely exception of Rainbow Dash—totally unaware of the danger they would soon face.

"Last time we faced Sombra…" Twilight shuddered at the memory, trailing off and leaving her thought undeveloped.

"You'll have the full support of the U.S. Alternate Reality Command," Lieutenant Forman said confidently, trying to raise her morale.

Twilight glanced over her shoulder at him and drew in a breath as she prepared to speak, but instead paused for a moment and let it out. She was silent for a moment further, before slowly turning around and meeting Captain Becker's eyes. "Bring the girls here, Captain. I've got a lot to talk about with them."

"How long do you think they're gonna' be in there?" Lieutenant Marshall asked, jerking his head towards the closed wooden door containing the Twilight and her friends, and then glancing down at his watch. "It's already been an hour.

* * *

><p>"She said she had a lot to talk about," Forman replied with a shrug.<p>

"How much could there possibly be to talk about?!" Marshall asked, throwing up his hands. "It's pretty straightforward, isn't it? _Hey, that Sombra dude's back—we'd better go kill him._"

"Must not be that simple," Forman replied and glanced over at Captain Becker, who was standing some five meters away, looking thoughtful. "What do you think, sir?"

Becker raised his eyes from the floor to Lieutenant Forman. "Sorry, what was that?"

Forman made a gesture with his hands. "This whole thing with King Sombra, sir."

"What do I think about it?"

Lieutenant Forman nodded, and Captain Becker frowned slightly. "Well, clearly it's got Twilight worried."

"And that worries you too, sir?"

"Not exactly, Lieutenant," Becker said, meeting Forman's gaze. "But we should be very cautious. Magic is still largely uncharted waters for us—we don't have any special countermeasures for it yet."

"We should probably get someone on that," Marshall said. "I mean… we're planning on being here for a while, and we'll probably be dealing with situations like this in the future, right? We should probably start figuring out the best ways to fight it."

"Actually, that's just what I was thinking about." Captain Becker took a few steps closer to them. "I'm going to recommend to Colonel Davis that we put together a task-force to research magic spells and artifacts, and come up with ways to defend against them—maybe even work alongside some of Equestria's authorities on the subject."

Becker hesitated. "That's a topic for a different day, though—Sombra's our concern, for the time being."

Lieutenant Marshall glowered at the sealed entrance to the room occupied by the Mane Six. "Speaking of, I'd sure like to know what's going on in there."

Just then, the door opened slightly and Twilight's head appeared through the crack. "Would the three of you come in?"

The soldiers exchanged glances, and stepped towards the door, which Twilight swung open for them. Once they were all through, she closed the door and returned to her seat around a table, where each of her Pony friends sat.

"So, what's the plan?" Becker asked.

"The plan…" Twilight said, hesitating a second. "Well… we don't exactly have one."

Lieutenant Marshall raised the palm of his hand to his forehead, in a very slow and exaggerated manner. "All this time you've been in here"—his fingers slid downward and pinched the bridge of his nose—"and you've got no plan?"

"It's a difficult issue," Twilight defended. "We've only fought against King Sombra on one occasion, and even then it wasn't us who defeated him, it was the magic of the Crystal Heart."

"Then what's wrong with this heart-thing now? Is it broken? Did Sombra figure out a way around it? Does the damn thing need its batteries changed!?"

"We don't know!" Twilight blurted, silencing Marshall. "We have no idea why he's back, and we have no idea how to beat him!"

The room was enveloped in a tense and uncomfortable silence that lasted until Lieutenant Forman spoke up. "Then… what are we going to do?"

"Well, we aren't going to accomplish anything sitting around here in Ponyville," Becker began. "Twilight, do you think you might find some useful information in the Crystal Empire?"

She considered his question briefly. "Maybe, but I doubt there's anything in their library that Princess Cadence or Shining Armor hasn't found already."

He shrugged. "You'll never know if you stay here. In fact, if we stay here we aren't going to accomplish much anything. I can't give you orders, Twilight, but the quicker we move out to the Crystal Empire, the quicker we can get to stopping Sombra. If there's nothing more you can do from here, then we might as well get going."

Twilight looked from Becker to each of her friends. They met her gaze, and she knew each and every one was willing to face Sombra alongside her. She looked back to Captain Becker, who was waiting for an answer, and she nodded.

* * *

><p>A piercing bellow from a train horn radiated from the Ponyville Train Station, where a black-painted General Electric ES44AC diesel locomotive sat on the tracks. The coal-fired locomotive that typically made the trip to the Crystal Empire was insufficient for the task of moving ALTREALCOM material requisitioned for this mission, so the one diesel train owned by Equestria—sold to them by the U.S. government some weeks prior—had been mobilized.<p>

Rarity winced as another shrill note from the horn blew through the air.

"Like the new train?" Corporal Garnet called to her, over the ambient noise of machinery.

Rarity looked the metal leviathan over. It was inelegant and utilitarian, and frankly an eyesore. Nevertheless, she forced a smile onto her face and answered the corporal. "It seems very… efficient."

Garnet began to answer, but his attention was drawn to the car next to them, where a SAM battery was lowered onto the flat bed with a _thud_! Several soldiers tending to the loading stepped onto the platform to secure the battery with tie-down straps, and to install a protective tarp.

"Ehh… Corporal, what exactly is _that_?" Rarity indicated the surface-to-air missile system. It wasn't the first she had seen that day, and their abundance surely meant they would be playing some important role in the upcoming events.

"Surface-to-air missiles; they're air-defense systems. We use 'em to shoot down aircraft. I think these are some new, expensive variation of the Patriot missile."

The missile in question was the MIM-104G, outfitted with a one-hundred kilogram warhead, and a high-speed ramjet engine—one which would propel the missiles at speeds exceeding Mach Seven.

"Anyway," Garnet continued, "unless there's something you need..." He trailed off, letting the statement hang in the air.

Rarity's face lit up with reconciliation. "Oh, yes! If you'd be so kind, I do need my luggage loaded."

"Alright, sure. Where's it at?"

"Just over here." Rarity started off, leading the corporal to where her luggage had been tucked away. "Are you sure you won't require help? Lieutenants Forman and Marshall did seem to have some difficulty, last time."

"Nah, I'm sure I'll be"—his jaw locked shut and he stopped midsentence when he saw the behemoth pile of cases and boxes before him—"…needing a forklift."

* * *

><p>With all passengers aboard, all equipment secured, and Rarity's luggage safely stowed in a covered compartment, the train lurched forward and began its voyage to the Crystal Empire.<p>

The trip passed by without incident, reflected Lieutenant Forman, barring one or two instances where Twilight and her friends had spontaneously broken into song.

The first order of business was to make contact with Major Proctor, Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor. This is where Lieutenant Forman was heading at that moment, along with his companions. Princess Twilight led the way, followed by Captain Becker, and then all the rest.

Lieutenant Forman glanced around and saw obvious signs that the local citizenry was not at ease. Crystal Ponies traveled together in close clusters—never alone. Some buildings had their windows secured by boards or bars, and others looked like they had been abandoned outright.

As the procession made its way down the main road toward the Crystal Castle, Lieutenant Forman was reminded of his first day in Equestria, when he, Becker, and Garnet had marched right through the middle of Ponyville. Granted, there was much less screaming and panicking this time—an escort by the famed Elements of Harmony—and Spike—ensured that. And by now, most of Equestria's citizens had at least heard about Humans, even if they hadn't seen them personally.

Forman wondered to himself what these Ponies must be thinking, watching a group of U.S. soldiers strolling down one of their streets, with more still unloading at the train-station. The sight of foreign soldiers in one's own land was seldom a comfort. Nevertheless, he was confident that the Alternate Reality Command would provide the Elements of Harmony with a distinctive advantage in combatting Sombra, when the time finally came.

Upon reaching the Crystal Castle, all ten of them were quickly admitted into the building. A pair of Royal Guards escorted them through the crystalline hallways, guiding them to the Throne-Room.

The doors were already open and Twilight peered ahead into the room. The Throne-Room didn't look anything like it had on her previous visits—it was much darker, and illuminated primarily by blue and amber light radiating from computer consoles haphazardly strewn about the room on mobile carts. The computers were connected to thick, black power-cables which snaked across the floor in all directions. Humans clad in camouflage uniforms milled about the computer stations, all of them operating under the direction of one man situated in the center of the room, flanked by a Unicorn, and an Alicorn—Twilight recognized them instantly as Princess Cadence, and Prince Shining Armor.

"Cadence, Shining!" Twilight called out, galloping towards them.

"Twily!" Shining Armor's face light up as his sister skidded to a halt in front of him. They embraced warmly, and both turned their attention to Princess Cadence.

"Twilight, it's good to see you again." She smiled warmly, but she was obviously troubled by something—understandable, given the circumstances. "I just wish it was under better conditions."

By then, the rest of Twilight's cadre had caught up with her. Becker, Forman, and Marshall singled out Major Proctor and approached him first. The four men briefly exchanged formalities.

"So," Proctor said, looking them over, with a splash of admiration evident on his face. "They sent the First Alternate Reality Group—I've heard a lot about you."

"I'm sure it's exaggerated, sir," Captain Becker said.

Proctor's eyebrows shot up and he folded his arms behind his back. "Let's hope not, Captain—I'd like every advantage we can get."

A particularly loud sequel of joy from Pinkie Pie interrupted them—the by-product of some unheard conversation between the Element bearers, and the prince and princess.

"Sir, perhaps we could meet somewhere a bit less… sensitive to noise," Captain Becker recommended.

Proctor glanced at Pinkie Pie, who was throwing sheepish looks towards the other Americans in the room, who were in turn glowering at her after her loud outburst had interrupted their work.

"That would be prudent," Major Proctor agreed. He faced towards Shining Armor and Cadence, and cleared his through politely for attention. "Princess, Prince, is there somewhere else we could meet?"

"Certainly," Cadence replied, after thinking it over a moment. "Just down the hall; follow me."

She lead them out of the annexed Throne-Room-turned-command-center and on a brief trip down the corridor. She opened one of the doors leading off the hallway, and they all filed into modestly-sized room, featuring a rectangular table and chairs. Each of them selected a seat.

"So," Proctor began, "as you're no doubt aware, we are currently under threat of attack from this cities former ruler: King Sombra." He hesitated. "Frankly, I'm not exactly sure what he is, other than an asshole, so Princess Cadence"—he indicated her—"explain, if you would."

"King Sombra is a dark-entity—the result of powerful dark-magic." She paused for a second. "A spirit, almost."

"A spirit?" Lieutenant Marshall's eyebrows drew together, and he glanced at Forman. "That doesn't really bode well for our plan of shooting him down."

Captain Becker's mouth tugged into a slight frown. "A spirit? But he brought down a fighter; he must have some physical form."

Shining Armor stepped in. "It might be best described as a semi-physical existence. He can interact with the environment, and vice-versa, but at the same time, he's not really… _there_. The only time I've ever seen him with a true form was when he began to absorb the power of the Crystal Heart, which is really the only thing that's been keeping him away."

Cadence continued. "King Sombra is the embodiment of what elements fuel dark-magic: anger, fear—"

Becker held up his hand. "Ma'am, not to be rude, but let's get right to the point; how do we stop this guy?"

Cadence exchanged glances with Shining Armor. "We don't know," she answered at last.

"Uh… Captain, Major," Forman began, "if King Sombra doesn't exist like we do, what will our weapons do to him? I mean… without any vital organs to destroy…" he trailed off.

Major Proctor nodded. "I see your point—that does bring up another topic, though." He swung his head towards Becker. "What weapons did you bring along?"

"Mostly anti-aircraft, sir, and our small-arms," Becker replied. "When we heard that Sombra brought down that F35… well, we assumed that establishing a solid air-defense was the best course of action."

"SAMs, then: Patriot Missiles?"

"Largely, sir; along with a few Stingers."

"If King Sombra's semi-physical like Prince Shining Armor said, then it's possible our weapons will be at least somewhat effective," Proctor said, thinking aloud.

"Well… why don't we ask the pilot whose aircraft he shot down, sir?" Marshall suggested. "Maybe he managed to get some shots off."

"Maybe, Lieutenant," Proctor answered, nodding his head. "However, Captain Thompson is recovering in the infirmary at the moment, along with his wingman: Lightning Dust."

Rainbow Dash's ears shot up and her head snapped around. "What? Lightning Dust is here?!"

"That's right," Proctor replied, quirking an eyebrow. "I was… unaware you knew her."

Several tense seconds passed before Dash's eyes lost their hard edge, and she once-again assumed her relaxed posture. "Yeah, well… I do. And believe me; we're all better off if she's not around."

"I'll take that under advisement," Proctor replied evenly. "But for now, I think we should mount the best defense of the city we can, using whatever we have at our disposal." He glanced over to Shining Armor and Cadence. "Unless either of you object."

They shook their heads.

"Excellent," Proctor continued. "Captain Becker, Lieutenant Forman, Lieutenant Marshall, supervise the deployment of your SAM batteries. If the crews pick up a radar contact, then they're clear to fire. If there's a chance we can at least hurt Sombra, we should take it."

Becker nodded affirmative. "Yes sir"

Marshall's hand shot up. "So… sir, we're going to lob taxpayer money at him, and hope it works?"

A slightly amused look crossed Proctor's face. "Yes Lieutenant—something to that effect."

Marshall nodded approvingly. "Well then… let's get going."

* * *

><p><em>POP! <em>

_WHOOSH!_

Twilight's eyelids shot open as the unmistakable sound of a Patriot missile battery firing pulled her from the shallow beginnings of sleep—sleep, which had eluded her for the past several hours. She glanced out her window and could just make out the glow of the missiles engine as it streaked through the night sky towards its target. In a few mere seconds however, it was gone from her sight, off to detonate itself against whatever its Human operators had ordered destroyed.

It should be reassuring, Twilight thought, to know that advanced weaponry had been dedicated to defending the city. But every time she heard a battery fire, she knew it had been because the Americans had detected something moving through the sky, and that something was King Sombra. Each missile launch was a stark reminder of his presence, and Twilight could never rest comfortably while Sombra moved about, plotting his next move.

Still though, they had beaten him before. Admittedly it hadn't been her doing alone, but that hardly mattered. With the help of her friends, King Sombra had been defeated. And every one of her friend who had helped her last time was present this time around too. Every friend, and then some when she thought of Becker, Forman, and Marshall. With their combined efforts, surely they'd succeed.

Twilight closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh, secure in the knowledge that they would defeat King Sombra. She closed her eyes and felt the embrace of sleep slowly envelop her body, only to have it jerked away once again by an all-too-familiar sound.

_POP!_

_WHOOSH!_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"Nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing!" Twilight emitted a loud groan of frustration, and slammed the book in front of her shut before sliding it across the table, and into a pile of other books pulled from the shelves of the cities vast library. "Nothing about Sombra: nothing about how he's back, and nothing about how to beat him!"

She sighed and plopped her face down on the table.

"Hey, Twilight," called a boyish and altogether too cheery voice. "Making good progress?"

Twilight raised her head just enough to cast an angry glare at Lieutenant Marshall, who's smile faded into an uncomfortable expression.

"Uh… that's a no, then?" Marshall asked, glancing around for something that might divert her attention away from him.

Twilight sighed and straightened up. "There's _nothing_ helpful in _any_ of these books, Marshall." She cast a hoof towards the pile. "How are we going to stop Sombra without any information about him?"

"Well… I don't know," he admitted. "But you've only been looking through these books for a few hours, right? I'm sure there's plenty more to try, and it sounds like Sombra can't even get into the city as long as the Crystal thing—"

"Crystal Heart," Twilight corrected.

"Right, that. As long as it holds, we're in good shape."

"But, Lieutenant, it'll only protect us from Sombra as long as the Crystal Ponies can power it. After that, we're defenseless."

Marshall raised his eyebrows. "I take it you've got some reservations about our own defensive strategies?"

Twilight gulped, and then hesitated. Truthfully, she didn't know quite what to make of the American plans. It couldn't hurt to try, she supposed, but she was skeptical about its effectiveness.

"Well, let's think of it this way, Twilight. The Crystal Heart is powered by love, or goodwill, or some campy crap like that, right?"

Twilight nodded.

"Well, then don't you think that the Crystal Ponies will be reassured by our presence, and that'll…"—he paused and waved his hands—"do some magic stuff with the heart?"

It made sense enough, Twilight thought. "I guess you're right, Lieutenant." She glanced down and muttered. "I hope."

* * *

><p>Opal Prism paced slowly down one of the Crystal Empire's many streets, accompanied by her friend, Red Diamond. They were life-long residents of the city, and had witnessed Sombra's reign, his downfall, and his return. And now, it seemed he was back at it again.<p>

The pair rounder a corner, and stopped—they had encountered an American roadblock, and a red sign warned them not to proceed further. A small group of soldiers milled about a Stryker APC, which idled in the middle of the street, maybe fifty meters from Opal Prism and Red Diamond. Behind the infantryman and the armored vehicle stood a rectangular, green object angled towards the sky: a surface-to-air missile battery.

Neither of the Ponies knew it by its correct name, of course, but they were familiar with the sound it made. It had fired missiles intermittently throughout the night, and had kept Red Diamond's filly awake.

"Dear Celestia—look at it, Opal!" Red Diamond exclaimed, her eyes transfixed on the weapon. "Do you think they're on our side? Do you really think so?"

"That's what the Princess says," Opal Prism replied, a hint of skepticism evident in her voice.

"But what if they're being forced to say that?!" Red Diamond countered, and Opal Prism had no answer. With these sorts of weapons, who knew what the Humans were capable of? They had heard stories of how the Humans had helped Equestria, but the Crystal Ponies themselves had never witnessed it. The stories could easily be fabrications.

Just to the left of the two friends, a single young colt, who was apparently unconcerned by, or didn't believe the warning sign, ventured towards the cluster of American troops.

"Hey—stop him!" Red Diamond heard someone call. A second later the colt yelped in pain, turned tail and retreated away from the roadblock.

Peering around the Stryker, Lieutenant Forman watched him go with a slightly irritated look on his face. "Damn kids," the lieutenant muttered, shaking his head.

"Lieutenant, exactly what just happened?" Applejack asked, having witnessed the colt repelled with seemingly no actions by the Humans.

Lieutenant Forman grinned and gestured towards the APC with his head. "Stryker's outfitted with an ADW: Active Denial Weapon—nonlethal anti-crowd weapon."

Applejack inspected the Stryker. It had most of the features she had seen on others like it, but she did notice a green rectangular box, perhaps the size of a hale-bale, mounted on the rear, left corner.

Forman began to explain. "It uses electromagnetic waves to excite water and fat molecules—oh, well, never mind. The point is: we can protect this area without having to shoot anyone."

He paused for a moment. "Anyway, back to what I was saying earlier—we haven't had a single radar contact since zero-six-hundred local-time this morning. Looks like Sombra is a little less eager to show his face."

Applejack shook her head. "Lieutenant, I'm sure it ain't gonna' be that easy."

"Speak for yourself," Forman shrugged. "But if you ask me—oh what now?!" Forman peered over the Stryker, squinted his eyes at something, and heaved an exasperated sigh. Applejack became aware of the sound of angry _boos _and _hisses,_ and when she peered around the armored vehicle, she saw a crowd of Ponies had collected at the end of the street, and were throwing angry glances towards the Americans.

"Are you serious? All this over one colt?!" Forman groaned as he climbed onto the roof of the vehicle. He peered into one of the open hatches and called to the occupants. "Hey—put a cork in this thing before it goes any further!"

Applejack saw the Active Denial Weapon—the green box—spring to life as it acquired its first target. The operator engaged the device, and panned its invisible beam across the crowd, which retreated one after the other. In a matter of seconds the angry crowd had been driven off, and the streets were quiet again.

"You're sure that things harmless, Lieutenant?" Applejack asked a bit uncomfortably as she watched the last of the retreating Ponies disappear around a corner.

"Completely harmless," Forman replied, and hopped off the top of the Stryker. "At any rate, they're a whole lot less harmful than our guns would be."

"Still seems to me you could've handled it better," Applejack said. "What if they come back?"

"Then Sergeant Jones'll zap 'em again," he replied with a nod towards a nearby soldier. "C'mon, let's get over to the library and check in on Twilight—By now, I'm sure she's got something."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean she's got nothing?!" In the quiet of the library, Lieutenant Forman's question seemed to boom throughout the expansive room, and Lieutenant Marshall winced.<p>

"_Shh_! Quiet, Jason!" He glanced back at Twilight, but she didn't seem to have taken notice—her eyes were still glued to the pages of the book levitating in front of her. Marshall let out a sigh of relief, and turned his attention back to Forman. "She's been working since we got here, but so far none of the books have been remotely helpful."

"Well…" Forman made an exasperated gesture with his hands. "How many books has she been through?!"

Marshall raised a hand and pointed toward a mountainous pile of books. Lieutenant Forman stared the pile over, blinked twice, and returned his gaze to Lieutenant Marshall.

"All that, and _nothing_?!"

Marshall nodded confirmation. "Nothing. It seems that King Sombra kept very quiet about the exact nature of his strengths and weaknesses, which makes sense. The last thing he'd want is people—and ponies—like us figuring out a way to beat him."

Forman let out a small sigh and glanced downward towards Applejack. "What do you think, Applejack?"

"If you're askin' me if she can do it, Lieutenant—I think we both know the answer to that."

Lieutenant Forman nodded. "Well, I guess now we wait—see what she comes up with."

"And shoot missiles at Sombra," Marshall added. "How's that going, by the way?"

"Dunno," Forman answered. "The SAM guys haven't seen anything since early this morning, but that doesn't mean Sombra isn't still out there. We really can't confirm a kill unless we find his dead body out in the snow somewhere."

"Dead bodies?! How repulsive!"

The three turned their heads and saw Rarity staring at them with her mouth agape. Captain Becker and the remaining Many Six were clustered around her.

Becker looked past his two subordinates, towards Twilight and observed all the discarded books piled around her. He then raised an eyebrow slightly and shifted his gaze back towards his men. "No luck, I take it?"

Forman shook his head. "No, sir."

"Well, have her take a break," Becker instructed. "Captain Thompson is out of the infirmary, and I don't think she'll want to miss this conversation."

* * *

><p>Captain Thompson was waiting in the same room used during to meet with Major Proctor on the day of their arrival. As the Mane Six and Alternate Reality Group leaders made their way through the doorway, Thompson—with considerable effort—rose from his seat and stood.<p>

"Captain," Becker greeted.

"Captain," Thompson replied, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

They all took their seats, and Becker continued. "We'll skip the formalities—if you would, Captain, explain to us exactly what happened when you were shot down."

Thompson leaned backwards and glanced up, recalling the events that had transpired. "Well, I was out on an evaluation flight with Lightning Dust; we've been using her to try and figure out how to coordinate Pegasi with our own aircraft. Anyway, the flight had been pretty much routine until I got something on my RWR—that's radar warning receiver for you ground-pounders." He paused for a second, running the events through his mind. "It reported radar from another aircraft, and then it said I was being shot at and after that… well, everything's kind of a blur."

"Can you tell us anything, Captain?" Twilight asked. "Anything at all?"

Thompson nodded. "I know that at one point, Lightning Dust and I got separated. I came around to find her and… there was this black cloud about to intercept her. I opened fire with my twenty-five millimeter, and the cloud veered off." He shrugged. "I don't know if I hurt it, or what. But I sure as hell didn't kill it."

Becker and Forman exchanged glances. If Thompson had indeed harmed Sombra, even insignificantly, it meant there was a chance their weaponry would be effective against him.

"I think that's about as much as I'm going to be able to tell you," Thomson said. "I had to eject shortly after that, and didn't see Sombra again until he attacked us when we were searching for Lightning Dust. Princess Cadence shot some sorta'… beam or something at him. Speaking of, how is she?"

"Uh… Princess Cadence?" Forman asked, confused. "She's fine, as far as we know."

Thompson gestured with his hand. "Not her; Lightning Dust!"

"Last I heard, she was still in the infirmary," Becker reported, and raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash, who had suddenly adopted a sour expression. "I don't think she's woken up yet."

"I'm sure she's fine, sir," Lieutenant Marshall reassured.

The door swung open, admitting Major Proctor and Princess Cadence. Proctor spoke before anyone had a chance to say anything, directing his words at Captain Thompson. "She's up—just came around."

Thompson leapt up from his chair and made his way to the door. Major Proctor stood aside to let him pass, and glanced at Becker as Thompson disappeared into the hallway. "The rest of you might want to come too," he suggested, and the rest of the room's occupants rose up and headed for the door. All, except Rainbow Dash.

"If it's cool with you guys," she said, "I'll just stay here."

Lieutenant Marshall frowned slightly, and addressed Becker. "I'll hang behind too."

Becker's eyebrows rose. "You're sure? This could be important."

Marshall shrugged. "Between you, Twilight, and Jason, I think you've got things pretty much under control. Besides, I never really cared for hospitals anyway."

Discussing the issue further would only waste precious time, so Captain Becker shrugged and followed Proctor into the hallway, along with the rest of the group. After the door was closed, Marshall waited a second or two and turned his body towards Rainbow Dash.

"So, Dash—what's up?"

She glanced at him and replied half-heartedly. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon Dash,"—Marshall walked around the table that separated them—"I saw that face you made as soon as you heard her name; you know her, and it's pretty obvious you don't like her."

Dash met Marshall's gaze for several seconds, and then relented. "Yeah, alright, I know her. We we're in the Wonderbolt's Academy together."

Marshall made a circular gesture with his fingers. "And?"

"And she was good," Dash admitted. "Good enough that Spitfire made her Lead Pony—she said she was willing to push herself more. But… Lightning Dust took all sorts of risks, all because she thought she was too good to fail."

Lieutenant Marshall shrugged. "Sounds like someone I know." He cast her a meaningful look.

Dash inhaled sharply, preparing to defend herself, until she realized Marshall hadn't insulted her, he had simply been stating an observation—the same observation that Ponies had made about her dozens of times. Regardless, there was one significant difference between her, and Lightning Dust. "Maybe you're right, Marshall. But I never put my friends in danger. Lightning Dust did."

"Danger?"

Dash nodded. "My friends were coming to visit me in Twilight's balloon, and Lightning Dust created a tornado that nearly knocked them out of the sky."

Lieutenant Marshall was silent for several seconds, before he finally nodded and spoke. "Yes… I can see how that might put some strain on a relationship." He hesitated. "Still though, Dash—Lightning Dust is right here with us in the fight against Sombra. You might not like her, but we're all on the same side."

Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head. "Look, Marshall. I get what you're trying to do, but you're wasting your time. I don't trust her—I _can't_ trust her!"

Marshall paused. "Well, Dash," he began, "that's your decision to make. But sometime soon, you might be forced into a situation where you have to work with her, and I need to know if that's going to be a problem."

Dash's eyes locked with his, which were unusually somber. "I'll be fine, Marshall."

Lieutenant Marshall nodded. "Alright then, I believe you. Anyway, I'm going to head down to the infirmary and see what Forman and the others are getting out of Lightning Dust. You coming?"

She thought it over briefly. "Yeah, alright. I guess I've got nothing else to do."

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Lightning Dust, hello?"_

_"__You said she was awake; what's going on?"_

_"__She was up earlier, sir—maybe she still needs to rest."_

_"__Dammit! Lightning Dust, wake up!"_

Lightning Dust's eyes slowly cracked open. At first, all she could see was painfully bright light and her eyelids were forced into a squint. But once the world around her came into focus, she made out a large group clustered around her bed—a blur of faces which would take more mental effort than she was willing to exert to identify individuals.

"Uh… ugh—wha?" She managed, sitting up a little further in bed.

A Crystal Pony doctor stepped in close and examined her. After several seconds of close inspection, he stepped back and nodded to his colleague—an Air Force doctor wearing a white lab-coat over his ABU.

"She checks out, sir," the Human doctor reported to the man nearest her; Major Proctor.

"That's good to hear," Proctor replied. "You alright, Dust? You took a nasty fall there."

"How—'' she was interrupted by a fit of coughing. "How long have I been out?"

"It's been a few days," Proctor said. "We've got someone here you might want to see." He motioned with one hand, and one member of the crowd around her departed from the foot of her bed and make their way to her. Proctor stepped back to make room, and although it took her a second to focus on the features of the face, identification was almost instant—Captain Aaron Thompson.

"Aaron!" Lightning Dust sat up with a start, but a stabbing pain shot through her body. She winced and abandoned the attempt, falling back onto her bed.

"Easy!" Thompson exclaimed, placing a restraining hand on her chest. Lightning Dust let out a sigh as her body relaxed, and Thompson withdrew his arm. "Do you remember what happened?"

Her face scrunched up as the recalled the details. "We were flying," she began. She remember that much at least. "Something attacked us. There was an explosion… you went down, and after that…" she trailed off, then remembered something else. Lightning Dust locked eyes with Captain Thompson. "I got lost… and you came back for me."

Thompson shrugged it off. "It was nothing. But do you remember anything else? Anything after Sombra brought me down?"

"No… wait! Did you say Sombra? As in _King Sombra_?!"

Thompson nodded. "That's right."

"King Sombra's back, apparently," Major Proctor said. "All of us here have been trying to stop him."

This prompted Lightning Dust to look at those others surrounding her bed. In addition to Major Proctor and Captain Thompson, there were two other Humans who she did not recognize. Princess Cadence was near the head of the bed, opposite Thompson. And there at the foot of the bed was Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony, minus Rainbow Dash.

"This is Captain Becker and Lieutenant Forman," Proctor continued, introducing the two Humans. "They were some of the first men through the rift into Equestria. The rest, well, I'm sure you're familiar with them."

"If you know who Sombra is, I'm sure you're well aware of how important it is that we stop him," Captain Becker said. "You just had a pretty close run-in with him, so is there's anything else you can tell us…"

"I'm sorry, I—I've told you everything I can remember!"

"Well, let us know if there's anything—'' He stopped speaking and touched finger to his earpiece as his radio received a transmission.

"What is it?" asked Major Proctor, who lacked a radio.

"Sounds like trouble," Becker replied. "Right outside the castle."

"Trouble? Sombra?" Proctor demanded, as they left Lightning Dust's bedside and headed into the hall.

"Doesn't sound like it, sir," Becker said. "I could be wrong, but it sounds like it's the Crystal Ponies."

The Mane Six exchanged glances, but kept moving forward to keep up with the Americans—minus Captain Thompson, who elected to remain in the infirmary. They made their way through the castles passages and stairwells, into the entrance hall, and out into the open air where they found a huge mob of Crystal Ponies clustered around one side of the palace, kept at bay by five Strykers.

"Is that…"

"Looks like an angry mob, sir," said Becker.

Proctor glowered at the crowd, disbelieving. "What the hell are they pissed off at us for?! We're trying to help them!"

Just then, Lieutenant Marshall and Rainbow Dash came rushing out, and skidded to a halt next to Proctor and Becker.

"What's going on?" Marshall asked, directing his question toward anyone who would answer.

"Angry mob, Lieutenant," Proctor replied. "I'm about to take care of it." He set off towards the Strykers, each of which was outfitted with an ADW.

"Lieutenant Forman." Applejack trotted several paces closer to the lieutenant. "You don't think this might have somethin' to do with earlier this mornin', do ya'?"

Forman considered the question. "Damn. You know, it just might."

"Earlier this morning?" Becker asked. "What's she talking about?"

"Applejack and I were out checking on a SAM site, and some Colt wanted to get a closer look—closer than they're allowed to go. We turned him back with the ADW, and then some of the Ponies who saw came and protested, so we got them too."

Captain Becker looked thoughtful. "Well, if that's true, then…" He trailed off, detecting a peculiar flickering in the sky. For just a faint few seconds, the clear blue sky above the Crystal Empire disappeared, revealing a barren, dead-white landscape. It was as though the shield protecting the crystal empire was failing. The shield provided by the Crystal Heart, which drew its strength from the Crystal Ponies, who were at that exact moment angrily protesting.

Becker's head snapped towards the APCs, where their Active Denial Weapons were lurching to life. "Sir, wait!"

He was too late, though. On Proctor's command, the ADWs were engaged, sending the Crystal Ponies into a panic as they attempted to retreat from the blistering heat they felt. Some escaped, some fell and were trampled, and some Ponies had been in such dense clusters that they had no way of falling back and were repeatedly exposed to the riot-control device's beams. Ultimately though, the soldiers did succeed in removing the Ponies from the area without inflicting any lasting harm.

And then, the shield shattered.

Icy gales of wind jetted through the city, over rooftops and through the streets. The Mane Six and ALTREALCOM troops were struck suddenly and were forced to shield their eyes from the cold, stinging air.

"What's happening?!" Proctor shouted over the wind.

"The shield fell!" Becker roared back. "The Crystal Ponies aren't powering the heart any longer!"

Suddenly, the howling wind stopped, replaced by an eerie, unsettling calm.

"Now what's happening?" Lieutenant Marshall asked, unsure of why exactly he was whispering. "Twilight? Any ideas?"

She met his gaze, looking nothing short of terrified.

Just then, a deep booming laugh echoed throughout the city—the same laugh that Major Proctor heard when they were out rescuing Lightning Dust.

A nearby soldier raised his rifle and remarked to his friend, "That is _so_ not good."

"King Sombra." Twilight's voice was little more than a harsh whisper. "King Sombra's in the city."

**Authors note: **Active Denial Weapons are, in fact, existing assets. Presently though, they more closely resemble a large radar-dish than the box described in this chapter.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Alright, Major—what's the plan?"

Major Proctor didn't see who asked the question. He and the other American troops present had formed a small protective perimeter around the Mane Six, keeping their weapons at the ready and scanning for any sign of Sombra.

Proctor tightened his hold on his own weapon: a fifth-generation Glock 17—a 9mm pistol with a standard capacity of seventeen rounds, and a firearm which would prove woefully inadequate should Sombra decide to attack them. He'd be sure to acquire a rifle sometime soon, but that could wait—right now, he needed to focus on minimizing the damage Sombra could inflict.

"We need to evacuate the civilians to someplace safe." He tilted his head back and sideways and called to Twilight, all the while keeping a lookout for trouble. "Princess, any ideas?"

Twilight thought the question over for a second, and offered her suggestion. "You could use the Royal Guard barracks."

"I was thinking the same thing," Captain Becker said from somewhere off to Proctors right. The major risked lowering his guard, and glanced in that direction. Having caught Proctor's attention, Becker went on. "I saw their barracks. It's fortified pretty well, and with the guards out trying to stop Sombra, it should be pretty empty."

"Hey, speaking of Sombra, where is that bastard?" Even if he hadn't recognized the voice, Proctor would have had no doubt that it was Lieutenant Marshall asking the question.

"We'll keep an eye out for him, but right now our priority is to evacuate the civilians. Lieutenant Forman, you and Third Platoon work on getting the civilians in this sector to the barracks."

"Yes, sir," Forman replied. He and the men of Third Platoon detached from the perimeter, and mounted the APCs. The Stryker's engines roared, breaking the unnatural silence that had fallen over the city. Major Proctor watched the green vehicles roll down the street, and disappear around a corner.

With the vehicles gone, that eerie, uncomfortable silence washed through the streets, slid down buildings, and blanketed the Ponies and American soldiers that remained clustered in front of the Crystal Palace. This wasn't how an attack on a city should sound, Major Proctor thought. By now, he should be hearing roaring machinegun fire, rockets and missiles exploding. He should be able to _feel_ the intensity of the sound, feel it rattle his teeth and bones, but instead all was quiet.

Dead quiet.

"Sir, we should probably get inside—we're pretty exposed out here," Captain Becker suggested.

"Yes; good idea, Captain," Proctor replied, snapping himself out of his musings. "Everyone," he called to the remaining soldiers, "get inside! I want a machine-gunner covering the entrance, and someone get me in contact with Cadence and Shining Armor." He paused, and glanced at his handgun. "And someone find me a damn rifle!"

* * *

><p>Third Platoon consisted of twenty-five soldiers, counting Lieutenant Forman. They had five M1126-varient Strykers at their disposal, each capable of carrying nine passengers inside their cramped interior.<p>

As the platoon approached their first objective, they broke off into five separate squadrons—five men, and one Stryker. Each squadron oriented themselves on a different street. The infantry dismounted and began knocking on the doors of houses, while the Strykers held their ground at the beginning of each street, playing a recording of Lieutenant Forman's voice over their loudspeakers.

"Attention. For your safety, Princess Twilight Sparkle has ordered the evacuation of all residents from this area. Please exit your homes immediately—you will receive further instructions from United States military personnel in the area. Thank you for your cooperation." Strictly speaking, Twilight hadn't explicitly ordered the evacuation. Nevertheless, Lieutenant Forman doubted she would mind if it helped protect lives.

Red Diamond glanced out the second story of her house, and towards the Stryker belonging to the fifth squadron, whose loudspeakers were blasting the message over and over. It was so loud she almost missed the sound of somepony—or someone—knocking on her door.

Red Diamond backed away from the window and made her way down the stairs, towards the door. All the while, the Stryker continued to broadcast its message in the background.

Whoever was at the door knocked again, louder this time.

"C-coming," Red Diamond stammered, tentatively taking the final steps that would bring her to her door. She opened it slowly, and came face-to-face with a pair of American soldiers. One's name-tape read _Brown_, and the other's read _Glenn_.

"This is your house?" Brown, who was the closer of the two, asked.

Red Diamond nodded, doing her best to suppress her apprehension. Earlier that day she had watched these men use some strange weapon to drive off other Ponies, and now here they were telling her that she needed to be evacuated for her safety. It didn't seem quite right to her, but she was hardly in a position to argue.

Brown went on. "Does anyone else live here with you?"

"My filly," Red Dust said.

"Get her—bring her outside," Brown ordered.

Red Diamond was just about to hurry off to comply with his commands, when she thought she detected a shadow move on the front of the of the house sitting behind the two soldiers. She opened her mouth to say something, but caught herself before she did. Was she really certain she had seen something? Had it just been a trick of the light? Would it even matter if she had seen anything?

Brown began to turn around—he had clearly seen that she noticed something unusual.

Red Diamond heard a sound like a whip cracking, and a black tendril shot fourth from the shadow. It pierced Glenn's torso and speared Brown in the same manner, impaling him to the front of Red Diamond's home. Then the tendril vanished into nothing and both soldiers collapsed onto the ground, bearing no physical injury but motionless nonetheless.

Red Diamond stared at their bodies for what seemed an eternity, too scared and shocked to scream, run or seek shelter. She looked up finally, and saw the remaining soldiers executing a futile counter-attack.

The bullets from their rifles chipped and pitted the fronts of the houses they struck, before ricocheting into the ground, while the Strykers fifty-caliber machine-gun punched through the crystal walls.

King Sombra dodged the hailstorm of incoming fire and dispatched the remaining troops in the same manner as Glenn and Brown. Only the Stryker—and its powerful machine-gun—remained.

Sombra sent out a single black tendril—one that clung to the ground, like a river of dark water. When it reached the APC, a dark, translucent manifestation shot up through the vehicle. It solidified—spearing a hole through the armor, before vanishing and the Strykers gun fell silent.

Red Diamond stared, shocked and horrified, at King Sombra's form. A pair of evil, lime-green eyes transfixed her own and held her gaze for several seconds before turning upward, towards the sky. Sombra shot off into the air—out of Red Diamond's sight, and towards his next target.

The sound of engines roaring and boots smacking the ground filled the air. The rest of Third Platoon had heard the gunshots and were racing to reinforce their comrades. Ultimately though, they arrived too late.

Lieutenant Forman stood very still for several seconds as his eyes passed over the lifeless forms of his five men. Finally, his gaze came to rest on Red Diamond.

"You!" Forman barked, storming over to her. Red Diamond was too frightened to react—she stood stock-still as Lieutenant Forman approached. "What happened here?" he demanded.

"It… it…" she attempted.

"Out with it!" he ordered.

"K-king Sombra."

* * *

><p>"Major! Captain!" The silence in the American command center—formerly the throne room—was broken by a radio operator, who had called over his shoulder for the two officers.<p>

Proctor and Becker, who had been conversing with Lieutenant Marshall the Mane Six, Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor, snapped their heads around towards the radio man, who beckoned them over.

"Sirs, I'm getting a report that one of our platoons was attacked!"

No further prompting was required. The captain and the major bounded across the room at top speed with the Equestrians following close behind. They slowed and came to a stop only a few feet from the radio man, who was squinting as he concentrated on listening to an incoming transmission.

"Who is it—who was attacked?!" Procter asked.

"Third Platoon, sir—they're reporting seven K-I-As; five infantry and two Stryker crewman."

Becker's eyes widened. "That's Forman's unit."

"What?" Dash asked. "Is he okay?"

"Sounds like it," the radio operator replied. "They're not reporting the death of their commander."

"Do we know who executed the attack?" asked Proctor, although he already knew the answer.

"It sounds like it was King Sombra, sir. He wiped out one squad and fled before their reinforcements arrived."

Proctor exchanged glances with Captain Becker. "He's engaging us openly, now."

"Worse than that, sir—he's actually killed some of our men."

There was silence as the group reflected on the gravity of their situation.

Proctor let out a sigh and issued instructions to the radio man. "Send another platoon to reinforce Third Platoon, and recall Lieutenant Forman to this castle—we need to debrief him on what he saw."

The operator sent the message. "He acknowledges, sir."

Proctor faced Becker. "C'mon. Let's get down there and meet him."

The three Americans, the Mane Six, and Princess Cadence set off towards the stairwell. Shining Armor remained behind to monitor the situation in the control room. "Let me know what happens," he called as they exited the room.

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Forman stormed through the Crystal Palace's open gates with his fists clenched and his jaw locked. His rifle was slung across his chest—the handle easily within reach. Forman set his eyes on Major Proctor and marched across the room towards him.<p>

"Where's that bastard, Sombra?" the lieutenant growled.

"We don't know, Lieutenant," Major Proctor replied. "Are you okay?"

"_I'm_ fine, sir—seven of my men are not!"

"We know, Lieutenant," Captain Becker said softly. "The only way you can help them now is to tell us as everything you can about what happened."

Lieutenant Forman closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, held in the breath for a second, and released it as he opened his eyes back up. "When we got to fifth squadron… none of them looked hurt. I mean, they were lying on the ground, but there was no blood—no signs of injury."

"What about the Stryker?" Proctor asked.

Forman shook his head. "Totally different story. It looked like it had been hit by a mine—the armor on the bottom and the top had been sliced through. The crewman… well, there'd have been a lot of shrapnel bouncing around in there."

Becker grimaced—he could imagine what that must have looked like.

"What about Sombra himself, Lieutenant?"

"Never saw him," Forman said. "By the time we reached their position, he was gone."

"Gone? Why would he leave?" Twilight asked, drawing everyone's—and everypony's—attention. "I don't want to sound insensitive, Lieutenant Forman, but it doesn't really sound like your troops ever stood a chance. Why would he leave?"

Forman shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we actually are a threat to him, so he can only fight a few of us at a time."

"Or," Captain Becker began, "he saw something a bit more interesting than a few American soldiers. Twilight, last time you dealt with Sombra, did he have any specific targets? Something of strategic significance?"

She nodded. "Yes—the Crystal Heart."

"The Crystal Heart?" Major Proctor's eyes widened. "But… that's here!"

A thunderous boom resounded through the room, and the floors shook under the stress of an explosion from high up in the tower. The room's occupants cast their collective gaze upwards, towards the source of the noise.

"What the hell was that?!" Marshall bellowed, clutching his rifle tightly.

"Sir!" A soldier who had been guarding the entrance called to Major Proctor. "The ops center reports it's under attack!"

"Shining!" Cadence gasped, and galloped towards the stairs.

"After her! All of you—let's go!" Proctor ordered, taking off after Cadence with the Americans following close behind.

The Mane Six exchanged glances amongst themselves, and raced after the group of American soldiers who had just vanished into the stair well.

Princess Cadence reached the floor containing the operations center first, and was met with a solid wall of darkness. The electric lighting installed by the U.S. engineers was no longer functioning, and this level of the castle had been plunged into total darkness.

She heard feet stomping on the stairs behind her, and seconds later Major Proctor and his men poured out into the hallway, their weapon's flashlights ablaze and plunging through the black void.

"Ma'am," one of the soldiers—Specialist Pearce—said as he and one of his comrades stepped in front of Cadence. "Please, stay behind us."

The sounds of hooves striking crystal flooring echoed through the hallway as the Mane Six charged out of the stair well, and immediately were forced to skid to a halt to avoid striking Cadence and the Americans, who had clustered in front of the stairs.

"Okay, all of you," Becker said as he flattened himself against the wall. "We need to be a quiet as we possibly can—and be sure to check your targets! We've got friendlies on this level we need to locate."

"You know what _I_ do to locate _my_ friends?!" Pinkie asked gleefully, casting Captain Becker a grin that ran from ear-to-ear.

"Something _quiet_, I hope," Marshall emphasized.

"I call for them as _loudly_ as I can!" She drew in a deep breath.

"Pinkie, no!" Every member of the group cried, but to no avail.

"Captain Becker's friends, we're coming to look—'' She was cut off mid-sentence when Lieutenant Forman clasped his hand over her muzzle.

"So much for the element of surprise," Proctor grumbled dismally.

"We're going in loud, then," Becker said, and turned his attention to the Equestrians. "Meaning that all of you stay to the rear."

"What?!" Dash cried. "Why're you keeping us out of the action?!"

"No time to debate it, Dash—do it," Forman ordered. She'd sulk for hours, but he wasn't remotely concerned about her ego.

The Americans stacked against the wall, with Specialist Pearce on point. They slid around the corner, into the long, dark hallway that would lead to the throne room.

Suddenly, Pearce's flashlight flickered twice, and went out.

Cadence heard him mutter a long series of hearty profanities as he toggled the on/off switch, and slapped the side of the light. Finally, he admitted defeat. "Hey guys, my lights dead."

"So we see," Marshall said dryly.

"Don't worry about it." Corporal Cooper—the other soldier—said. "I've got point." But as soon as he stepped past Pearce, his light went out as well.

"Damn! What's wrong with these things?"

Before anyone could pose an answer, every single light died, plunging the room into absolute darkness.

"Hold on—I'll get a flare," Forman said. He ripped open a Velcro pouch and felt around until his hand clasped around the circular body of a handheld flare. Going through the motions that had been drilled into his head, Forman removed the cap protecting the flammable material packed into the flare's cardboard body, and struck it against the igniter. A red flame popped to life, bathing the hallway in eerie crimson light. Forman jerked his head, signaling for them to move on.

Princess Cadence gulped nervously. They had been walking for several minutes—how much further was the throne room? This was her home, but it looked totally alien to her. Menacing shadows danced along the walls, and the only source of light was Forman's red flare—the flare, and two lime-green half-moons bearing a pair of red dots.

They blinked.

Cadence screamed—a shrill cry of pure terror, and Lieutenant Forman swung his flare in her direction, holding it out in front of his body like a talisman.

The flare's light reveled a misty, ethereal form levitating above the doorway. Cadence stared into its eyes, and it stared back into hers.

Suddenly, her ears came under assault from a percussing of thunderous _cracks_ and _booms_—the Americans had opened fire. Flashes of light blossomed from the muzzles of their rifles, and the effect of the bullets against the crystal was nothing short of devastating—dust and chunks of the polished rock erupted wherever the bullets landed.

King Sombra shot off down the hallway, untouched by the barrage.

Pearce and Cooper took potshots at his fleeing form, but soon lost sight of him.

"Let him go," Proctor instructed. "Our priority is to get our men out of here safely. Sombra isn't even heading their direction, and besides—I think we'll a bit more firepower than what we've got if we're going to take him on."

Lieutenant Forman dropped his flare—it was reaching the end of its life—and deployed a new one.

"Is anypony else wondering why Sombra just left us?" Twilight asked.

Proctor glanced over his shoulder and met her gaze for a second, before returning his attention to the hallway in front of him. "Well, I'm not about to complain that he did."

"Guess he just wasn't interested," Marshall added.

"But… why?" Twilight posed to them. "If he wasn't interested in us, then what is he interested in?"

"Well, there's that Crystal Heart you were telling me about," Marshall said. "But I'm guessing you've got that thing pretty well secured."

Cadence nodded. "Of course—the heart is totally shielded against all magic, save for one small opening to allow a connection between it, and the Crystal Ponies."

"And, that one small opening—you've got it locked down nice and tight too, right?" Captain Becker asked.

"One would have to breach the walls of the palace to access it."

They all froze.

"You mean like Sombra's done?"

Princess Cadence took a step backwards. "Well… yes, but he'd also need to discern its location. And even then, it's protected."

"Location is the kind of thing that you might find in the ops center," Forman said.

"Which he's just attacked!"

Captain Becker nodded. "We have to assume the heart's location has been compromised. Twilight, Cadence, what exactly happens once Sombra gets ahold of the heart?"

Cadence exchanged glances with Twilight, before answering. "He'll regain his corporal form, along with all his powerful magic."

"We can't let him get to the heart," Twilight continued. "If he does… who knows what he'll be capable of?"

"Agreed," Proctor said. "We'll call for reinforcements, and assemble a strike team to—" he trailed off, noticing Twilight shaking her head.

"There's no time, Major. Cadence and I will go stop him—alone."

She was met with cries of protest and exclamations of shock, but she shrugged them off. This was the way it had to be. "Girls… Cadence and I are the only ones powerful enough to protect the Crystal Heart. "

"Come now, Twilight; don't be ridiculous, Rarity began. "You don't seriously expect that we're going to let the two of you face Sombra alone!"

"She's right," Forman said. "It's standard procedure for non-essential personnel to clear out of an area of operations—we just get in the way."

"This isn't the time for your rules and regulations, Forman!" Dash snarled. "I don't care what _standard procedure_ is for you, I don't leave my friends behind to face danger."

"I'm sorry, Dash—you have to. Remember, we don't have the elements of harmony anymore."

Dash darted forward and hovered with her face only inches from Twilight's. "Oh, so we're only worth keeping around if we've got the Elements of Harmony, huh?"

Twilight gasped, and her eyes went wide. "Dash, no; that isn't what I meant!"

"Enough!" Captain Becker barked.

Dash snorted, and backed away.

"We're running out of time. Twilight, Cadence, are you two sure you can take down Sombra by yourselves?"

Twilight looked to her side, where Princess Cadence stood. She gave a small smile, and an encouraging nod. "Yes," Twilight said. "We can."

"Then that's that." Becker glanced over at Proctor. "Sir, with your permission we can begin evacuating the palace. I have the feeling things are about to get pretty… heated."

"No argument there, Captain—let's get to work, starting with the personnel still in the operations room."

"Yes, sir." Becker spared a quick glance at Twilight. "Try to be quick about this—I'll see you once you're done kicking Sombra's ass."

With those final words as a farewell, the two groups parted—one headed towards the ops room, and Twilight and Cadence towards the Crystal Heart.

Twilight wished she and Cadence could engage in conversation; maybe share some words of encouragement before facing Sombra, but they were galloping at full speed and had no air to spare for talking, and it was requiring their full concentration to navigate through the palace's dark halls using only their horns for illumination. Sooner than Twilight would have liked, they reached their destination: a narrow passageway—just wide enough for one pony—that lead upwards.

"I'll go first," Cadence volunteered. Without another word, she stepped into the passage, stooping her head slightly to avoid striking it on the frame, and began a gradual ascent.

Twilight followed a meter or so behind, listening to their hoof-steps echo though the small tunnel. _Clip-clop-clip-clop_, and… something perhaps something else? Something that just registered—an airy hiss. Twilight looked over her shoulder, but saw nothing. She shook her head, and continued climbing.

"Do you think Sombra is there yet?" Twilight asked, surprising herself by how loud her voice seemed in such a confined space.

"I don't know," Cadence replied. "If he was able to find the information he needed, then we have to assume he's made it to the heart." She gasped. "Which means we need to hurry! Come on!"

They were galloping again, as much as one could gallop through a tunnel too short to comfortably stand inside. Nevertheless, they were making good time, and soon came to a stone wall.

Cadence pointed her horn at the wall, which was enveloped in pink aura. The stone blocks faded away, and Cadence passed through, followed by Twilight.

They were outside, Twilight realized, at the top of the Crystal Palace. And what was more, they were alone—there was no sign of King Sombra.

"He's not here," Cadence observed. "We must have beat him! I was sure he'd be here by now."

Just then, they both heard not unlike something large and heavy striking against crystal off of one side of the platform. They snapped their heads around, ready to fend off whatever threat revealed itself, but nothing ever came. The two exchanged glances and approached. Cautiously, they peered over the side of the tower, but the only discernible danger was the magnificent drop they'd face should they fall.

Twilight and Cadence backed away from the edge, and turned back towards the Crystal Heart, where a misty form had leeched onto the heart.

Twilight gasped, realizing that whatever strange sound they had heard must have been a distraction so that King Sombra could get close to the heart. The mist began contorting violently, twisting this way and that until it began to take on form recognizable as a Unicorn.

The mist hardened, taking on the physical properties of flesh, blood, and bone. Pitch-black fur rose to cover the bare skin, and a horn curved like a scimitar sprung up from atop the head. Eyelids slid open, exposing red pupils against a glowing green background. A deep, menacing laugh rose from the Ponies throat as he glowered at Cadence and Twilight.

King Sombra had returned.


	23. Chapter 23

**Authors note: **So, I'm sure there's at least a couple of you wondering just what the hell took so long with this update (especially considering it isn't even a long one). Simplest answer I can give is that I've got several projects I'm working on, and that Equestria Occupied is only one of them. Rest assured: this story is not dead, even if the updates do take a while.

With all that out of the way, enjoy Chapter 23.

**Chapter 23**

"So this is what Princess Celestia has sent to stop me?" King Sombra's magically amplified voice boomed, shaking Twilight and Cadence's bones. "The Princess of Love, of all things—'' he glanced at Cadence "—and a baby Alicorn". He looked to Twilight.

"Say what you will!" Cadence cried. "We've defeated you before!"

Sombra sniggered. "No, you didn't. The Crystal Heart defeated me last time, and as you can see…"

Indeed they could. The Crystal Heart had been enveloped in a black, translucent aura.

"You monster!" Cadence bellowed.

Sombra's grin only grew wider, until he noticed Twilight staring at one of his legs. He glanced down and saw several patches of bald—the exposed flesh was bright red, showing signs of recent injury.

Twilight's gaze tracked upward until she met Sombra's eyes.

"Your friends and their weapons," King Sombra hissed angrily.

Apparently, the American weapons had an effect after all—albeit only a superficial one, Twilight thought. Not that it was of any significant, unfortunately. All that mattered now was that King Sombra be stopped before he could harm anypony else.

Their mission was still one of prevention, Twilight realized. True, they hadn't managed to keep Sombra from corrupting the heart and regaining his corporal form, but now was still their best time to fight him; recently regenerated as he was, King Sombra would not-yet be at full strength.

Sombra lowered his horn towards them. "I think we've wasted enough time—let's begin."

* * *

><p>"Captain? Can you tell what's going on up there?"<p>

Captain Becker lowered his pair of binoculars and looked at Major Proctor. "No, sir—I can't see a damn thing."

The very top of the Crystal Palace was illumined by flashes—a lightshow comprised of every color of the rainbow. To the observers below, it was obvious a fierce battle was taking place. Though it was impossible to tell which side had the upper hand.

But at least they knew where King Sombra was, making this the ideal time to evacuate however many Crystal Ponies they could. This was where Lieutenants Forman and Marshall were, along with the remainder of the Mane Six.

"Becker, you know Princess Twilight better than I do—do you think she can handle herself up there?"

"Twilight's a pretty powerful unicorn, sir. But I know jack squat about King Sombra; I can't really tell you who's more powerful."

"Look out!" someone called. A particularly large chunk of crystal was blasted from the top of the tower, sending an entire platoon scrambling to avoid the falling hazard. The boulder-size mass of debris slammed into the ground only meters away from a fully-crewed Stryker.

Captain Becker peered through his binoculars once more, but had no better luck than the previous attempt—he still couldn't make out Twilight, Cadence, or Sombra. But as long as the battle was still raging, he knew the two princesses were still alive. _Or, at least one of them_, he amended darkly.

"Major, Captain!" A medic called to the two officers as he raced over to them. "Sirs, Shining Armor is coming to."

Becker and Proctor exchanged glances. Twilight and Cadence didn't want anyone to interfere with the fight against Sombra, but once Shining Armor recovered consciousness they'd have to contend with a unicorn whose wife and sister were engaged in a fight for their lives. He'd want to help them, and they couldn't let that happen.

The two of them followed the medic back to the treatment area. It wasn't any sort of a shelter—they hadn't even put up a tent. It was merely a designated area for depositing the wounded for medical treatment.

Shining Armor was lying on his side, under the supervision of a Crystal Pony nurse. She noticed the Americans approaching and slowly moved over to greet them.

"He needs to rest," she informed Major Proctor before the latter even had a chance to speak. "Please, make sure he doesn't overexert himself."

"I'll do my best," Procter replied.

The nurse accepted that answer and moved away to tend to another patient. Major Procter gazed sympathetically after her for a few seconds, before focusing on Shining Armor. His eyes were opening and he was trying to speak, but only managing confused and unintelligible sounds.

"W-what?" He finally managed.

"You were unconscious; Sombra knocked you out." Procter paused. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," Shining grunted, trying to stand.

"Stay still, sir," the medic ordered.

Shining Armor abandoned his attempt to stand, and dropped back to the ground where he lay still. Without moving his head, Shining adjusted his gaze to Major Proctor. "Cadence, Twilight… where are they?"

Proctor and Becker exchanged glances. He deserved the truth—that they agreed on. The problem was: if Shining Armor knew his wife and his sister were engaged in a battle for their lives at the top of the Crystal Palace, he would without a doubt go charging in to the rescue, and in his current state the prince was only a liability. He deserved the truth, but as the adage went, he couldn't handle it.

"They're safe," Major Proctor said, praying that Shining Armor wouldn't notice the flashes of light from the top of the palace. "They're out helping Lieutenant Marshall and Lieutenant Forman evacuate the remaining civilians."

It was a lie—he wouldn't pretend otherwise, but it was a necessity. Shining Armor was apparently satisfied with this answer and his eyelids slid closed, believing that Twilight and Cadence were out of harm's way. Captain Becker frowned—nothing could be further from the truth.

"Speaking of," Becker began, taking his eyes off of Shining Armor, "how do you think things are going for Forman and Marshall?"

"They seem like good officers," Proctor replied. "I'm sure they're doing just fine."

* * *

><p><em>If we could get these damn Ponies to cooperate, we'd sure be doing a whole lot better. <em>Lieutenant Forman glowered at a group of Ponies who were shying back from the American soldiers—as if they were actively resisting the U.S. forces attempting to help them.

The Mane Six—minutes Twilight—were moving up and down the column of evacuees, reassuring them where they could but there were just too many Crystal Ponies for the five of them to cover. Lieutenant Forman was primarily relying on threat-of-force to maintain order—distasteful, perhaps, but effective. And at the end of the day, when these Ponies had successfully been removed from harm's way, he doubted very highly that they complain about the stern treatment they had received from their rescuers.

Forman glanced at his watch and swore. They were running on a very tight schedule: the city was being evacuated by train, and he needed to get these Ponies down to the station ASAP.

By his estimate, they were dealing with a little over one-hundred-fifty Ponies, all of whom had to be airlifted to the train. He had four Air Force operated V-22s at his disposal, but he doubted that would be enough to evacuate all of them on one trip. He'd need to tag along on the first flight and keep the train from leaving.

To further complicate matters, the square they had selected to mount evacuation operations from was only large enough to accommodate one helicopter at a time—the first of which was just touching down. The remaining three Ospreys were flying a holding pattern above the square, each waiting for their turn.

Ark-One, the call sign of the first aircraft, reduced engine power and lowered its cargo ramp. The loadmaster appeared at the rear of the craft and signaled to Lieutenant Forman—they were ready to receive cargo.

Lieutenant Forman glanced over at Marshall. "Hey, Mark?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

He jerked his head towards the V-22. "I'm gonna hafta' run. You got things here?"

"Yeah, I got it," Marshall said confidently, nodding twice. "Gotta' catch a train?"

Forman closed his eyes and shook his head. "Gotta' stop one." He took a step away from his friend and faced the crowd of Ponies, singling out two. "Rarity! Applejack!"

The two turned and looked at him. Lieutenant Forman beckoned them over with a wave of his hand.

"Whatcha' need?" Applejack asked once she was close enough for conversation.

"We're taking a ride to the train station," Forman replied. "I'm gonna' stick the two of you somewhere where you're visible to the ponies coming in, and the ponies on the train. If we're lucky, then seeing two of Equestria's heroes will help keep everybody calm."

"You can count on us, Lieutenant," Applejack affirmed.

"I knew I could." Forman glanced at the Osprey. "C'mon, let's mount up."

"Just one thing, Lieutenant," Applejack said as the trio made their way up the loading ramp.

Forman paused and looked at her. "What's that?"

"Ya' said every_body_. Should be every_pony_."

"I'll keep that in mind." In spite of the situation, he grinned slightly and a light chuckle escaped his lips. Then a flash of light caught his eye, coming from the top of the Crystal Palace where Twilight and Cadence were still engaged with Sombra. In an instant his smile was gone, and his lips were pulled back into a thin line. He locked eyes with Applejack, and then Rarity. "Take a seat."

* * *

><p>Twilight Sparkly fought back a wave of nausea and sent another salvo of spells flying in King Sombra's direction. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and into her eyes, producing an irritating sting, and each breath Twilight took stung her nostrils and throat.<p>

The top of the palace was barely recognizable—cracks ran through the polished crystal, and smoldering craters dotted the surface. Cadence and Twilight stood on one side, and Sombra stood on the other.

Throughout the battle, there had been intermittent periods of peace—an unofficial armistice where, for perhaps a minute, neither side would attack. Instead, they would simply circle around the top of the palace, and then somepony would fire off a spell and the whole thing would start over again.

It was now that Twilight found herself in another one of these moments—exchanging hateful looks instead of spells. This time though, she couldn't afford for it to end so quickly. This fight was taking a lot out of her, and she needed a few minutes to regain her strength. Hoping to buy some extra time, Twilight took a deep breath, and attempted to engage Sombra in conversation.

"So, King Sombra"—Twilight spat his name without bothering to hide her contempt for the pony—"what's your plan? Enslave all the Crystal Ponies again?"

King Sombra made a face at her—a face that couldn't be truly considered a smile. His lips went through the motions, but that was all. The feeling a smile expressed—happiness, humor, friendliness, those were all absent, and Twilight had to wonder if he'd truly ever experienced such emotions before in his life.

"Enslavement, Princess. You speak of it as if it's such a bad thing."

Twilight's eyes widened. "It… it is a _bad_ thing!" Her mouth remained agape. Surely even King Sombra couldn't justify the evils of forcibly enslaving another being.

"Equestria's royalty was always so weak—in over a thousand years, that hasn't changed," Sombra scoffed. "Is it not our right to rule? Our very obligation to lead those beneath us?"

"To lead, yes," Cadence said. "What you do, Sombra… you are no leader."

King Sombra's malicious, hateful smile grew even larger. "Oh, but my dear stupid princess, I am. I unified these Ponies under a central, unquestionable authority. Under _my_ direction, this kingdom thrived."

"A true leader doesn't hold themselves above those they lead!" Twilight remembered her brother had once told her something to that effect, and she had always seen him live by those words.

Sombra dropped his smile, sighed heavily, and rolled his eyes. "And tell me, how often does your precious Princess Celestia bother to dirty her hooves when she wants something done?"

Twilight hissed angrily. "Princess Celestia has an entire country to rule over!"

"And I have a kingdom."

With those words, the conversation ended, and ended altogether too soon as far as Twilight was concerned. She was still building her strength back up. Interestingly enough however, King Sombra didn't attack. He just stood there watching her, seeming fully prepared to fight for as long as necessary.

Unbeknownst to both Twilight and Cadence though, it was exactly that: _seeming_ prepared to fight. The reality was that he wasn't any better off than either Twilight or Cadence. A powerful unicorn he may be, but only a powerful unicorn could ever hope to last against two Alicorns, especially when Twilight's special talent was magic.

Truthfully, King Sombra wasn't in any hurry to re-engage the two princesses; taking them on dead-to-head like this was not nearly as easy as he had originally anticipated. While this tense cease-fire was certainly welcome, but it was only a temporary solution. If combat persisted, Twilight and Cadence could very well secure the upper hand, and that was would spell the end of King Sombra.

It was increasingly obvious to the king that he needed to rest until his strength had been fully restored. But to retreat in his current state was far too risky—he was too fatigued to cast a reliable teleportation spell, and it would signal that he had been weakened and was vulnerable.

What he needed was to slip away and make sure that neither princess was motivated to follow him. But how? King Sombra saw no solution to his problem, until his eyes detected a gray, flying object rise into the sky—one of the machines belonging to those accursed new allies of Equestria. Perhaps smashing their spirits would be a good place to start.

"Tell me, Princess," Sombra said, his malevolent smile returning, "are those some of your friends over there?"

Twilight glanced over her shoulder—an American V-22 was cruising through the air. She felt a searing heat pass next to her, and jet of Sombra's magic arced towards the craft.

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Forman stuck his head into the pilot's cabin. "What's our ETA to the station?"<p>

The airman in the co-pilots chair twisted his head and shoulders around, and Forman immediately recognized the man. "Lieutenant Aiken."

Lieutenant Aiken tapped two of his fingers against his helmet in an informal salute. The other man, presumably Lieutenant Harris, spoke up but kept his eyes out the window. "I'd guess about five minutes, Lieutenant Forman. That's assuming these conditions hold."

Forman's eyebrows rose. "You mean conditions might change in the next five minutes?"

"Ever since the shield fell, the weathers been pretty unpredictable. Ya' can't really tell from the ground, but up here, any change in the wind"—he took one hand of the yolk and snapped his fingers—"you feel it just like that."

Lieutenant Forman nodded his understanding, although Harris couldn't see it. He glanced out the left side of the aircraft and his eyes went wide—a jet of dark magic was fast-approaching them. "Look out!"

Harris's head snapped around. He saw the incoming fire, and dove to avoid it. "Sirtakeaseat!" he rattled off quickly, and reported over the radio: "Ark-One is taking fire!"

Forman stepped back into the cargo hold. "Hold on to something!" he advised the Ponies, before plopping down into his seat.

Forman felt the aircraft dip again as Harris attempted evasive maneuvers. He glanced over at Rarity and Applejack, where the former was staring wide-eyed out her viewport. Lieutenant Forman turned his attention to his own small, circular window and was just in time to see Sombra's spell close the final few meters to the Osprey.

Instinctively, he threw up his arms to protect his face. In the cockpit, Second Lieutenants Harris and Aiken mirrored this action—they both knew their aircraft was about to be struck. Rarity felt adrenaline surge through her veins and she closed her eyes. Applejack clung to her seatbelt for dear life.

Sombra's bolt of energy slammed into the side of the V-22 and exploded. Metal deformed, glass shattered, and the airframe ruptured. Fuel from the tanks was thrown into the sky and detonated into a massive airborne fireball which totally engulfed the doomed vehicle.

The twisted, lifeless husk of Ark-One crashed down hard in the cityscape below.


End file.
